Reactive
by GarGoyl
Summary: Alfred, the son of a renowned doctor is a young Alpha raised to stick to norms and confident in his future. But his life will change unexpectedly and dangerously when, upon entering his last year of highschool he meets Arthur, a boy who technically shouldn't exist. SF omegaverse with a dark twist (full expl. inside) Contains some PruCan and GerIta.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A/N – Hey there! I really thought (or at least hoped) that I wouldn't start my fourth on-going story, but Hell, it happened. In that idea, I will keep my chapters relatively short (around 2000 words), in order to make it easy to update, but meaningful ;)

Before we get started, I'd like to point out from the very beginning that this is not the 'regular' omegaverse story where Alfred and Arthur hook up in highschool, have at least three kids and live happily ever after. (Remember Shrek wiping his ass with the pages from a fairytale book? I do the same.) Yes, I can promise that this story will obviously contain USUK romance (including some hot stuff and good old bed business), aside from a disturbing dystopia, political conspiracy, action, and a science fiction explanation I came up with for the whole omegaverse concept. So if this isn't your thing… darn, but if it is, enjoy ;)

Some brief explaining on the twist I put on the omegaverse AU (because more details will be gradually revealed as the story progresses):

At the beginning of the 22nd century, after the Last Great War, humanity is divided into two perfectly complementary classifications – the alphas and the omegas - based on their genetic attributes. The classifications strictly regulate several things such as the individuals' access to education and jobs and it is the ultimate foundation of all social rules. But what scientists and the Government have carefully concealed from the general public is that occasionally a genetic anomaly occurs every now and then, resulting in superior genetic hybrids empirically called 'untouchables'. The untouchables have several distinctive characteristics – they can take the physical appearance of either alphas or omegas, but they are stronger than any alpha and also they do not follow the regular submissive or dominant patterns of behavior; they have normally very low sexual hormone levels and are as a result completely scentless; being a genetic anomaly they are also unable to reproduce. Because they cannot be effectively categorized, the Government has decreed 'untouchables' inadaptable to society and as a result, undesirable citizens who are to be eliminated upon discovery.

* * *

Alfred wasn't particularly looking forward to starting the last year of highschool. His father had already began to put some pressure on him in respect of his upcoming college choice and he knew very well that Dr. Albert Jones expected his elder son – his Alpha son - to follow in his footsteps. Despite the idea being rather burdensome, he was confident that he had what it took to do it and would eventually be successful, after all the task of carrying on the family name was his and his alone.

He'd been very disappointed to learn, several years back, that even if his little brother Matthew - who was an Omega - bested him on some subjects, highschool was the last type of school they were going to be attending together. His father had sternly explained that Matthew could not go on to college, that there were other duties he was expected to perform. Ever since their mother had died, the household duties had fallen upon the younger sibling, and upon graduating from highschool he was expected to take them on full time, until he was mated and would care for a family of his own.

_That_ was another subject the young Alpha found somewhat stressful. He was already entering his final year of highschool and many of his colleagues had already chosen their future mates, and a few were even mated already. But while he enjoyed flirting with attractive Omegas as much as any other Alpha his age, unlike his friends Alfred really wasn't particularly thrilled by, or drawn to the perspective of starting and providing for a family at such a young age. Having a relationship was one thing, but taking on a load of responsibilities before even completing his studies and getting a full-time job was another thing entirely. He was really hoping that his father would not start to bug him on this subject as well anytime too soon.

But damn, this was the last free weekend before the school started and he would not be bothered with any of that crap. Even though Alfred knew that his two best friends – Ludwig and Ivan – would pester the hell out of him with their plans for after graduation on a daily basis while never ceasing to emphasize that he would waste many years of his youth with studies instead of focusing on _what really mattered_. Yeah well… and frankly it was kind of depressing, because he had the feeling that almost everyone aside from him had somehow gotten old and boring overnight, or that a stick of sorts had grown up everyone's ass. And given the current circumstances he could only hope that there were still some cute, single Omegas left out there for him to have some innocent fun with.

* * *

The green-eyed blond desperately observed the man standing in front of him, upright and stiff against the glass wall. His eyes wandered over the massive Alpha's strong jaw line, proud neck and broad shoulders, then further down to the defined chest, muscles visible through the tight shirt. It was useless though, the Alpha's natural scent was too strong and too foul to ignore. When his eyes began to water and saliva gathered in his mouth Arthur realized he wasn't going to make it, another round on vomiting was imminent and indeed, it took less than a full minute before he made straight for the bathroom.

"Damn, Francis, do we _really_ have to do this? Go out there and mingle with the stinking freaks?" a boy named Gilbert asked morosely, causing the young doctor to shake his head. "And what's the fucking point of us attending the _last_ year of highschool with them when we've been schooled here just fine until now?"

"Yes you have to, and I've already explained why – in your future jobs as agents you will have to be able to blend in without flaw… and they're not 'stinking freaks', Gilbert, they're the regulars, the normal people. And this isn't a different planet or something."

"Right, _we_ are the freaks," a brunette girl named Elizaveta cut in. "Seriously you guys, I think this is going to be a blast," she added ironically.

Arthur returned eventually and joined the rest of the small group, plopping down on the cushioned sofa and pulling his knees up to his chest. If the others were displeased with the prospect of what was to come, he was rather frightened. He'd been barely ten years old when his parents had finally ascertained that there was something very wrong with their apparently Omega son and he'd been handed over to the agency without as much as an explanation on their behalf. But he still remembered quite vividly the multiple times they'd stressed out the imperative need of complete obedience and submission on his part, that horrible feeling of being trampled upon which came with it and with the constant bullying of his older Alpha brothers. And now he was going to have to fake the whole thing all over again! Bloody brilliant...

"So, to recap it one more time," Francis said, trying to sound somewhat cheerful," Monday is your first day of school. The story is that you're all transfers from another district – this isn't uncommon, families happen to relocate for job purposes and there will be other transfers as well, so this won't look strange. There are several mixed classes, as well as classes Alphas and Omegas take separately, depending on specific skills they're purported to acquire, as the brochure says and I _really_ hope you actually bothered to read it. Be careful to keep your scent up at all times, even if it's a pain in the ass, and as for the _others_' scent, well, I've prepared small menthol containers for everyone, keep it on you at all times and inhale deeply whenever it becomes too much, but remember to do so inconspicuously."

The young doctor let his gaze wander over the six students, letting out a sigh. "Look, I am fully aware that this will be very dangerous, but still… I'd like you to understand that holding a grudge against regulars just because they're different from us is an unfortunate idea – they're just innocent people manipulated by a system they're not even aware of. There's nothing wrong in making friends with them, however temporarily, and having some fun too, as long as you're sticking to the rules."

"Oh, I'm sure this is going to be hella fun," a pale blond 'Omega' named Lukas said dryly.

* * *

A/N – I realize this gives room for a lot of questions, but don't worry, they will be answered in due time. Other than that, let me know what you think (or feel free to flame if you hate it, flames keep me warm ;)))


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! I must confess that I was pleasantly surprised by the large number of follows this story got after only one chapter (and mention of Shrek :)))). So thank you so much for following, fav-ing and reviewing, it really means a lot to me. Also, I wanted to say that if the 'answering questions' in the context of the story doesn't go fast enough for plot purposes and there's something you want to ask, feel more than welcome to PM me or leave the question in a review – I answer every one of them. Alright, and now, without further ado, please enjoy the second chapter ;)

_Allistor – Scotland_

_Vlad - Romania_

* * *

When Alfred descended for breakfast on Monday morning, he found both his father and his younger brother already at the kitchen table. It was a bit odd to see his father there, since most of the times Dr. Jones was gone long before the boys were up for school, the man having an absolutely hectic schedule. But now he was there, nursing his steaming coffee cup thoughtfully.

"Hey, Dad!" the older son greeted circumspectly – from experience it was never good when their father looked thoughtful. "I thought you'd already left by now. Everything alright?" he asked, plopping into his seat while Matthew placed a mug of fresh coffee and a plate of pancakes in front of him.

"Huh? Yeah, everything's fine, son. I just wasn't in that much hurry this morning, so I thought I'd join you two for breakfast. So, big day today, right Alfred?"

The blue-eyed boy threw a wary glance towards his younger brother. Mattie had two more years of highschool ahead of him, but for Alfred this was the final year and now his father was about to start a discussion about college – something which as per the laws his Omega sibling couldn't even dream of. He knew that normally he shouldn't have felt any discomfort about this issue, but it was there, gnawing at him deep inside nevertheless.

"Yeah, Dad…" he agreed half-heartedly.

"So, I was thinking that one of these days we could look over some college applications together," Albert Jones said, sipping on his coffee with a good-humored smile.

"Uh… sure, whenever you have the time-" Alfred paused, frowning at the two light blue pills placed on a napkin next to his plate. "Um, Dad? Did they change the supplements again?"

Dr. Jones cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, it's an improved formula," he said, but not before his son could notice that his smile had vanished brusquely at the question.

The supplements were necessary vitamins everyone was taking for the proper functioning of the body, since after the Last Great War the soil had been depleted of essential compounds and the food was said to lack the compulsory nutrients needed for human health. Thus, the scientists had synthesized a special kind of supplements people were supposed to take every single day, three times a day, all their lives. Alfred for one found it rather depressing that they all depended on some stupid blue pills.

"Well, then," Dr. Jones said after some more idle talk. "I'd better be going now. Mattie, I don't think I'll make it in time for dinner, so don't wait up, okay?"

"Okay, Dad."

Alfred chewed his lip as the front door closed with a dull thud. "Matt, why do you think he doesn't like to talk about the pills?

"I don't know," the younger said, standing to gather the dishes. "Why would he like it? It's kind of a sad subject, I suppose."

"I know, but he's on the Advisory Council, so he must have been directly involved with developing and monitoring the recipe. That's pretty big and important, right? I don't know, I thought he would be excited to talk about his work, all the more since he's so eager to see me enrolled in the Medical School."

Matthew laughed. "Maybe there's some scary stuff about it that you're not supposed to know just yet," he joked. "Anyway, we should think of less grim things for now – I'm so excited about school starting! Feli has traveled with his parents all summer so we'll have a lot of catching up to do. Not to mention… before the break he said something like being convinced that he and Ludwig would be mated this year…"

The taller blond took a large gulp of coffee, his stomach cringing in dread at the news. If that was true, he would never hear the end of it. Naturally, his brother was excited for his friend and he too was happy for Ludwig (assuming that Ludwig actually knew what he was doing and that he was sure of wanting to tie himself down so young), but the perspective of being sucked into what he considered to be the mind-blowing and potentially sanity-endangering whirlpool of wedding planning and whatever else was entailed by official mating was dismal. Not to mention the subsequent pressure which was to be put on himself to 'do something about it' as well. Ugh!

"I also read on the school website last night that there'll be some transfers this year from other districts, so maybe if they're in our classes we'll get to meet new people. Isn't that great, Al?"

The young Alpha momentarily resurfaced from the dark musings and perked up at the last bit of information. New transfers? Well, this could turn out to be interesting, for a change.

* * *

"Uh-oh," Gilbert said, turning towards the rest of the group who was standing warily on the other sidewalk. "I have some bad news, guys. I'd actually thought Francis was joking when he said that they have scent scanners at the school gates, but they do. And a couple of armed guards, by the way. Fuck, I thought they only have those in public institutions."

"A school _is_ a public institution, idiot," Elizaveta snapped in reply. "The official explanation is probably that they're supposed to make sure no one carrying a dangerous disease might enter the school grounds and start an epidemic."

Arthur looked up morosely at the large white building of their new school – it suddenly looked ten times more sinister than before, taking into account that there was a chance – albeit very small – that they couldn't even get past the gates without getting arrested. They'd practiced their fake Alpha and Omega scents through simulators countless times back at the agency institute, but what if the actual scanners were different? What if this little 'experiment' would end very, very badly? He took a deep breath, willing the fear coiled in the pit of his stomach to dissipate.

"Yeah, well, regardless of the official explanation, we still have to do this," a dark-haired boy named Antonio who was the other 'Alpha' in their group aside from Gilbert stated as a matter-of-fact.

The six students started across the street, heading slowly towards the gate with Gilbert and Antonio at the lead. Bu at just as the two boys were about to step in, a little Omega girl with messy pigtails rushed in past them, causing the scanners to beep loudly. The girl froze like a deer caught in the headlights as the alarm went out and the two guards instantly reacted, grabbing her brutally and nearly shoving her against the nearby wall. A female teacher rushed to the spot as the girl's bag was searched and the poor thing was now crying silently, in utter shock. Arthur only caught something along the lines of 'you're wearing a bit too much perfume, dear' as the girl was finally released and allowed to walk away, clutching her ravaged belongings.

"Fuck… oh fuck… yeah, okay, "Gilbert grumbled. "Maybe this will work to our advantage after all…"

Indeed, the group went past the gates without any problem – it looked like their fake scents were flawless after all – but Arthur had not taken more than a few steps into the school grounds before he was faced with a worse and completely unexpected problem, in the form of his older brother Allistor. The red-haired Alpha was waiting right by the school entrance, so there was no way his estranged sibling could get past him unnoticed. What the hell could he possibly want?! And how _the fuck_ had he found out that Arthur was going to be here, today?!

There was no way to avoid it – if he'd tried running Allistor would have pursued and, persistent as the blond knew his brother to be, the bastard would have probably showed up every single day until he got his hands on him. Better get it over with.

"Well, well, fancy seeing you here, Artie, I honestly believed it was a bad joke when Mum told us," the redhead said disdainfully, in lieu of any greeting, not that the other expected any.

"What do you want, Allistor?" Arthur asked coldly, already fighting to keep his temper in check.

The older sibling snorted, drawing even closer. "How about what I _don't_ want, huh? I don't want a bloody _mutant_ like you on the loose, causing problems for _my_ family!" he growled. "Do you understand?!"

The blond blinked, somehow still taken aback by the sheer brutality of those words that he should have expected, yet it still hurt to have been rejected by his own kin, even if he'd been more than much better away from them. "I think you have no right to-"

"Oi! Don't talk back to me, you scoundrel!"

"Or what?! Go fuck yourself, Allistor!" Arthur hissed, right before the Alpha's fist flew straight into his jaw.

He lost his balance and fell to the ground, his cheekbone and forehead colliding painfully with the hard concrete. Through swimming vision he saw the guards advancing towards them, but quickly backing off upon being informed by Allistor that he was his brother. In absolute horror, Arthur realised that the bastard could literally pound him into the ground and nobody would have intervened, while he couldn't defend himself since he had to pretend to be a weak Omega and could by no means betray his true nature. He was already back in Hell.

* * *

Still looking for Ivan, who was late as usual, Alfred had missed the scene unfolding at the entrance until he felt Mattie clutching at his arm and saw what his younger brother was watching in obvious distress. In the next moment the older Alpha who had punched the blond Omega boy currently lying on the ground stormed past the two brothers, growling a low 'get the fuck out of my way'.

"The fuck's going on?!" the bespectacled blond asked in shock, as one of the two Alphas in the unknown group helped the blond collect himself from the concrete and was checking to see if he was hurt. "Are those the new kids?"

"I guess… haven't seen them before," Mattie said in a shaky voice. "A-anyway, that was… scary… the way he punched him in the face like that…"

"But-… Why the fuck did the guards back off? The fuck are they here for anyway, to harass little girls every time those stupid devices go haywire?!"

Matthew clutched his bag strap and chewed his lip warily. "Well, they backed off because… that guy said he was his older brother. So, he has rights, you know…"

Oh… yeah. He knew. Parents had rights over their children, and Alpha siblings had rights over the Omegas, especially if they were younger. Correctional rights, thought, Alfred figured. But there was nothing correctional about that sort of blow. A punch like that was something one would expect to get in a tavern brawl, the kind of punch an Alpha would throw at another Alpha, at any rate. But what pissed him the most was that the whole thing had scared his little brother – Matthew was a very sensitive kid and this really was the last thing he needed to witness. Hell, this was already a bad day, and he hadn't even met 'potentially wedding-planning' Ludwig yet.

* * *

"Arthur, are you sure you don't want us to take you to the infirmary?" Elizaveta asked concerned, while Antonio was still supporting the blond against his frame and rubbed his back gently.

"N-No, I'm fine…" the green-eyed boy whispered, his hand searching blindly in his pocket for the menthol container. He was still a bit dizzy from the blow, but the worse thing was that the surrounding smells from the multitude of regular students roaming the hallway were probably going to make him throw up any moment now. His liver was sensitive and because of that he tended to have a more acute sense of smell than the others, which in _this_ environment meant double the ordeal everyone else was going through. He found the small box in time and flipped the lid open, inhaling the calming vapors deeply.

The group made their way to the homeroom class, as per instructions, and they presented their registration passcards to the teacher before finding their seats.

"Right, so, that went well," Gilbert concluded, plopping down in a chair by the window. "Can anyone explain to me though why that asshole was there _in the first place_? How could he have possibly known that Arthur was going to be here, when he's never been to school before?"

"I don't know, but I suppose Francis will have to do something about-" Vlad piped up, only to be interrupted by an angry Elizaveta.

"Like what?! The question is what are WE going to do if-…"

Their heated conversation died up brusquely when the homeroom teacher approached their desks after checking his tablet.

"Arthur Kirkland? The Highschool Principal, Mr. Vargas, would like to see you in his office, now."

The blond stood up on shaky legs, eyes slightly wide with a horror he could barely contain. Had Allistor talked to anyone, or had anyone heard when he'd called him a 'mutant'? Had he been discovered already? Was he as good as dead? Yet despite everything, he still forced himself to move and obediently followed the teacher out of the classroom.

_**To be continued**_

**A/N - Yep, Arthur is in trouble... can't believe I'm doing this to him...**


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

A/N – Hello everyone! I am still continuously amazed by the large number of follows and favorites and I'm so grateful to those of you who left a few words of feedback, it's always much appreciated! As you probably know by now, I reply to all reviews and PMs unless they're from guests (who cannot be replied to), but I'll answer here to the one guest who has requested that the chapters be longer – I'll try, but don't expect superlong chaps. Taking into account my already huge fic workload and usual hectic work schedule, it would take forever to update and I don't want that. Hope you'll be happy with whatever improvement I am able to produce in that department though:) That being said, enjoy today's update ;)

* * *

Arthur forced himself to breathe normally and adjust his scent – he'd learned that Omegas were supposed to give out a slightly different scent when in stressful situations and he figured it would have made sense in the current circumstances. Just in case this still mattered, the blond thought as the homeroom teacher was knocking on the Principal's door. A soft 'come in' was heard from the other side and the man pressed the knob, ushering the student into the spacious office.

The Principal, a tall, brown-haired Alpha probably in his early forties stood up from behind his desk, taking in Arthur's frame with a small smile.

"Arthur Kirkland, yes?" he asked neutrally. "You're one of the new transfers, if I'm not mistaken."

"Yes, sir."

"Please, have a seat."

The green-eyed boy tried to guess if the tone of the other's voice was ominous or not, seeing how the man's greeting smile had quickly vanished, his expression now unreadable. He gulped inconspicuously and walked up, sitting in the chair placed in front of the large desk. If the guards weren't here yet then maybe there was a chance that Mr. Vargas was still clueless about the truth. Which didn't mean he wasn't in trouble though…

"Well, Arthur, as you can imagine, we need to have a talk about what happened earlier in the school yard," the Principal began. "It was quite a scene and I would like you to explain to me what that was about."

The blond drew a breath and barely fought back a grimace– the Alpha's scent was nearly suffocating, but he could not use his menthol container now. Damn! And he'd been so upset and shocked about Allistor's unexpected appearance that he'd failed to consider that an explanation might be required by the teachers.

"I was told that was your older brother," Mr. Vargas went on, prompting him to speak. "And that you two appeared to have an argument before he hit you. Did you say something to make him angry?"

Arthur blinked. He'd gotten his head slammed against the concrete and this man wasn't asking whether he was okay, no, he was concerned as to whether he'd _said anything to make his brother angry_. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew – Francis had explained to them countless times – that such a thing was to be expected while living among the regulars and their strict behavior rules, but still…

"My brother is… uh… h-he's… um… estranged…" the student managed to improvise eventually. "He's had an argument with… our parents recently and he moved out. B-because father didn't approve of his job and the mate he wanted to take… But he wants father to give him an… um… an allowance regardless, and he wanted me to ask father…"

"He wants you to ask your father for it?" the Alpha supplied, gentler this time.

"He said that I should side with him, because we're siblings, but I can't, I can't!" Arthur mumbled with a small sob. Perhaps Mr. Vargas would buy this crap and let the issue drop, because it was triggering him in all the wrong ways and he couldn't sit in that office much longer without a breath of fresh air.

The Principal nodded, sighing. "I see. Well, at any rate, it wasn't your job to handle this issue and by your brother's reaction… perhaps you have crossed the line. And we cannot have this kind of behavior here, do you understand, Arthur?" The Alpha's tone was soft now as he spoke, but the meaning of what he was saying was clear – he considered that Arthur had been responsible for the incident.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. But I'm afraid that I will still have to call your father and talk to him about what happened today," Mr. Vargas said, discreetly signally that their little talk was over.

* * *

Alfred couldn't believe that Ivan had actually wasted half an hour looking for the scarf he always wore and consequently had been _so_ _fucking_ late. As a result they were now both late for homeroom (on the first day no less!) and the bespectacled blond couldn't help thinking that Ivan getting officially mated recently had brought no improvement to his friend's general life discipline, if anything he was even more scatter-brained than usual. Oh well, on a brighter note at least he hadn't become as pestering and stressful as other mated people he knew.

Alfred had cautiously suggested that they take an alternative route to their class – one which didn't include passing right by Mr. Vargas's office and risking to be caught by the Principal if he were to open his door just then – but the other Alpha was more concerned about their homeroom teacher (though not as much as he was for the stupid scarf!) and would have no further delays. Thus they decided to take their chances.

And then the worst almost happened, the Principal's door opened just as they were drawing near and both of them froze in their tracks, ready to bolt back around the corner at the slightest sign of the man coming out. Only it wasn't Mr. Vargas, but the new Omega student Alfred had seen earlier getting punched in the face by his older brother. The boy walked hurriedly in the other direction, not seeing them, and he found himself for some reason compelled by curiosity to follow.

The smaller blond was rapidly fingering his cell phone as he went, oblivious to the fact that he wasn't alone in the hallway, and literally stormed into the restrooms. Abandoning Ivan for now, the Alpha decided to 'casually walk in' and see if the new kid was alright (and maybe get a better look at him while he was at it). It was stupid, Alfred told himself, stalking someone he didn't even know, but curiosity was in his nature and now it had just been stirred.

He waited for a bit, experiencing a slight and rather uncharacteristic hesitation before slipping quietly into the restroom. He discovered the blond Omega leaning over a sink, the running water only partially muffling his sobs. Alfred's observant eyes took in the other's slender frame clad in simple black jeans and a white fitted t-shirt. Everything about his body was so gracious – the exposed nape of his neck, the curve of his back, his almost impossibly slim waist brought out by the tight clothing. Yep, he was definitely some eye-candy.

Alfred drew closer, feeling instinctively inclined to seek more of that soft but enchanting scent the Omega was giving off even in obvious distress when the other suddenly looked up, light green eyes widened in fear giving him a rapid once-over. There was something weird about the way the boy looked at him, as if assessing potential threats and pondering on ways to fight back in case of an attack.

"Hey…uh… sorry about startling you-"

"Arthur! Are you alright?!"

The bespectacled blond nearly jumped out of his skin at the male voice suddenly coming from behind as another Alpha pushed past him, hurrying to the green-eyed boy. The newcomer gently brushed the unruly bangs off the Omega's forehead and stroked his cheek, carefully keeping off the side of his face which was already starting to form a nasty bruise. Then, with a sharp movement the dark-haired boy turned, giving Alfred a look. He said nothing, but his slightly narrowed eyes held a silent warning and something bordering hostility which, while it didn't show in his scent, was still impossible to ignore.

"Come, let's get the hell out of here," he muttered, scooping Arthur up in his arms like he was nothing, perfect muscles flexing under his shirt as he did so, and the Omega gratefully buried his nose in the crook of his neck, still sniffing a bit.

Left alone in front of the long row of sinks, Alfred morosely reflected upon the recent events – his brother getting scared by that brute, nearly getting caught for being late and above all the moment in which he'd met the most beautiful Omega he'd ever laid eyes on, only to have _his_ gorgeous Alpha barge in merely seconds later. This had to be the most fucked-up day of his life, and he hadn't even gone to class yet.

* * *

"Okay, okay, you can put me down now," the blond grumbled while his nose was still buried into the menthol container. "What's gotten into you anyway?"

Antonio laughed sheepishly in reply, carefully lowering his friend to stand on his own two feet. "It's a roleplay, remember? Besides, didn't you see how that guy was looking at you? Like you were something delicious to eat… What happened, anyway? Was it that bad in there?"

The other quickly wiped any tearstains left on his cheeks, shaking his head embarrassed. "I know it's half-assed, but I just cracked, Tony… The fucking Principal wanted to know 'if I'd said anything to make my brother angry'! He made it clear that it was my fault, that I crossed the line! He made it sound like I bloody _deserved _it! And I suddenly felt like I was back in Hell, like I'd never left!"

"It's only one year, Arthur. If we make it, then everything will work out, I guess. We'll have jobs at the agency and we'll have far less contact with the regulars and their stupid rules," the brown-haired 'Alpha' said, kicking a cigarette bud with the tip of his boot. They'd gone out into one of the school's interior yards to avoid any other unwanted encounters and accidentally stumbled over a spot where the older kids were sneaking up to smoke. Fortunately, it was currently deserted. Antonio picked up a forgotten pack and, finding a lighter in it as well, helped himself without hesitation. He took a long drag from the cigarette before passing it to the blond who now sat slumped against the wall.

Although this wasn't new and he'd found no special pleasure in it in the past – they had all tried Francis's cigarettes before when the doctor had been careless with his belongings - Arthur found some relief in inhaling the fragrant smoke now. Obviously, it had more to do with the thought of breaking the rules of this stupid school than the actual smoking, but it helped nevertheless. He wasn't worried about the phone call Mr. Vargas was going to make – all their 'parents' phone numbers' the school had been provided with were redirected to Francis, but Allistor showing up like that wasn't something the student thought he could deal with again. Just how had the bastard known he would be coming to school today? And what was the agency going to do about this incident? _Were_ they going to do anything at all?

"Hey…" Antonio said eventually, after a last drag. "We should get back now or the others will think some serious shit happened."

* * *

Alfred's day had only gone downhill from there, considering such a thing would have been even possible and yes, it had been. He'd eventually joined the rest of his class in homeroom and then he'd gone with Ludwig and Ivan to maths, where he'd seen the new Alpha again, this time in the company of another new student, a strange but quite handsome albino. He'd found out their names and where they'd come from, but all those details didn't matter, as far as he was concerned their presence here meant only one thing – more competition. And it was strange, because normally he wouldn't have thought of it that way (in such a 'typical Alpha' manner), but after seeing the one named Antonio with that cute Omega he found he couldn't think otherwise. It was true that he knew nothing about Arthur except for his name and that apparently his older brother was a superasshole, but there was something about the lovely blond with peridot eyes which had made his heart beat faster, had made him giddy in a way he'd never experienced before. Except life was a bitch and Arthur was taken.

Or wasn't he?

That night, as he lay in bed, Alfred spent quite some time analyzing every detail of what he'd seen in the restrooms, there had been no kiss and no hug between the two other than that brief caress and scooping up as a sort of blatant claiming, what if it had all been just for show and they were just friends? Right, just friends…. At any rate, he would have to investigate some more.

And on top of it all yes, his worst fear was confirmed - Ludwig was indeed making _plans_. Shit.

* * *

"So… shit happened," Francis said sighing, as he sat down onto the bed next to the younger untouchable who had his knees pulled up to his chest and was staring blankly somewhere out the window. "As you know, Mr. Vargas called… Guess he stinks in more than one way, huh?" the doctor added with an awkward shrug while trying to make a joke which failed to amuse any of them.

"Yeah… he blamed me for everything… but I suppose that it was to be expected…" Arthur chewed his bottom lip nervously. "But how the bloody fuck did he know, Francis? How did Allistor know I was going to be there?!"

The older blond sighed again, reaching out and running a hand through the boy's hair gently."Well, while we're without scent we're not without empathy and we thought that maybe at least your mother… might want to keep up to date with what's going on. She was given a phone number where she could call and ask about you if she wanted. And I'm guessing she did and a kind, unsuspecting soul must have given her the information…"

"And now what?"

"Now I will have to call your father and remind him that as per the documents they signed when handing you over to the agency they have no more parental rights, that _your family_ has no more rights over you."

Somehow, Arthur didn't find that particularly reassuring, since the doctor wasn't saying what they were going to do if Allistor was to show up and bully him again. All he felt in this moment was the dread of having to go back to that awful school the next day.

_**To be continued**_

**A/N – Yep, I know, I'm not helping… For now that is ;)**


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! I am so grateful to you all for the feedback, favorites and follows, it means a lot to me! So, yep, another delay in updating because the work is hectic this time of year, but now it's time to move on with my little reactive plot and pull the strings on my characters once more ;) Enjoy!

* * *

Arthur silently studied the expressions of his friends as the Omega teacher in the Health class explained about the intimate interactions of a mated couple. A cold perplexed look was on Lukas's face as he stared hard into his book, while Elizaveta had a cramped and ominous smile, stealing irritated glances towards her boyfriend every now and then. The extremely passive role of Omegas in the whole thing was rather striking, to say the least, but the teacher kept emphasizing how important it was for the Omega partner to let their Alpha know what a good job they were doing.

"But what if they're not doing such a good job? Then what?" a boy named Lovino asked out of the blue, rudely interrupting the lesson. Unlike his meek brother Feliciano, Lovino was quite the atypical Omega, without any of the usual soft, submissive traits, other than that he would have probably crapped out in a confrontation pretty much like the rest of them, Arthur pondered. But either way, it was probably because Mr. Vargas was his uncle that his behavior didn't get him into more trouble.

"Dear, you have nothing to worry about," the teacher reassured, her voice soft and gentle, as if she were talking to a small child. "Of course, all Alphas instinctively know how to be… pleasing," she added, with a faint blush. "And even if they might be clumsy at first, like I said, encouragement from your behalf is very important."

"Do you hear that, girlfriend? 'Lay back and take it, and don't forget to fake it'," Vlad chuckled in a low voice, to which the brunette by his side instantly delivered a discreet punch in his stomach. "What? It's catchy – like one of those stupid happy songs they put in toilet soap commercials…"

The woman standing in front of the class went on in the same tone answering other questions and explaining stuff which was, as it had turned out, dismally _standard_ (to put it mildly), so much so that the green-eyed blond failed to see the excitement almost entirely. He proceeded to tune out the rest of the lecture, instead his thoughts drifting to the relieving fact that Allistor hadn't been waiting for him again this morning. Whatever Francis must have told his father had seemed to work, at least for now.

"Oh God, I really hope this doesn't end with a group hug or something, because if it does…it will be bad," Lukas declared.

* * *

It wasn't until Baby Care class that Arthur decided he needed a smoke. Badly. Maybe later Antonio and him could sneak out to that place and get their hands on some more free cigarettes? He'd genuinely thought Cooking class would be the worst – he was bad at cooking on a good day and in this place where they had to be on their guard at every step it was the last thing he could focus on – but this was far worse. Not because of the subject itself, but the thoughts it triggered. Arthur rather liked children – there were a few back at the institute and he would watch them play out in the inner yard sometimes – but seeing his Omega classmates so enthusiastic over the thought of having children of their own as soon as possible and the educational system encouraging this desire was terribly cynical. Yes, those children would be loved, cherished and taken care of –_ if they were born with the right genes_. If not, they would be exterminated, unless by some luck the Agency got to them first. Indeed, with all the measures the Government took, untouchables were nature's ultimate way of saying 'karma is a bitch' and they weren't as rare an occurrence as it was believed among scientists. Because for the rest of the world genetic hybrids were even less than an urban legend.

"Why are you making such a fuss? This stuff is actually useful."

"What is useful, feeling like I've died and gone to diapers heaven?! Vlad, I swear, when we're having a baby you are SO changing her and everything else!"

"_Her_? When did we decide that it will be a 'her'?"

"I decided it right now because you annoy me!" Elizaveta yelled.

Arthur smiled at the thought of his friends having a family of their own – while untouchables could not conceive, couples had the option to adopt the newborns rescued by the Agency every now and then. Not that there were so many couples at the institute to begin with, which made the blond wonder if he would ever have such a family… First, he would have to find someone and he already knew everyone technically available. No one had sparked his interest so far, but maybe he'd end up with another single just for the sake of companionship… Even Francis was single, maybe he would-

"What the hell are you doing with that, _bastardo_? Give it to me!"

He was abruptly pulled from his musings as Lovino yelled and snatched the pack of baby wipes from his hand. Goodness, the chap had serious anger management issues!

"Please, Lovi," his good brother intervened pleadingly, gently pushing the darker-haired Omega out of the way. "So, this is so exciting, isn't it?" he chirped, clasping his hands together as he looked at Elizaveta and Vlad. "You both hope to have girls to begin with?"

The brunette winced, not knowing how much the chatty little Omega had heard of their conversation, but hoping he'd drawn no other conclusion than he was supposed to.

"Um… yes, actually," she laughed, a little awkwardly. "Vlad and I are childhood friends and so we always wanted to have a girl together, I mean in the same time, like… both our children would be girls."

"Like you said, to begin with," Vlad added with a bright grin which was probably going to get his ass kicked later.

"I'm so excited about this!" Feli stated. "It's not official news yet but I am to be mated until the end of the year and as soon as we tie the knot I hope to get pregnant! I hope we'll have at least three children, as soon as possible!"

"Really? That's amazing-"

"Three children?! But… how are you going to support three children so soon?" Elizaveta interrupted her boyfriend, eyes wide in genuine awe.

But the Omega boy simply shrugged, the same careless smile on his face. "Luddy is going to get a job, of course."

"Yeah? Like what job is he going to take? I mean he'll barely be out of highschool next year!"

Feliciano looked positively puzzled at both the question and the tone, and Arthur's hand shot out instinctively and gripped the brunette's arm, pulling her aside while her boyfriend hurriedly apologized and explained to the younger Vargas that she was as nervous as she was excited about the whole thing, which occasionally translated into 'plainly stressed out'.

"Liz, how about _maybe_ you stop stirring shit which might get us all killed?" the green-eyed blond muttered under his breath while digging into his pocket for the much-needed menthol container. It had been dreadful not to be able to use it until now, when the class was ending.

"What?! I asked about his mate's job, that's all. I mean, seriously, the fact that raising three kids can't possibly be a piece of cake _is_ a no-brainer," Elizaveta said rolling her eyes.

"Obviously not in their books. And what if a teacher had heard you say that? At best, we can't have that arse Vargas call Francis again, he might recognise his voice and get suspicious. We _have to_ stick to whatever bloody crap everyone else is doing, remember?"

"Fine…" she conceded. "Big sheepish smile it is, three children for a start is great, I get it."

* * *

"Wow, three kids is… awesome!" Alfred said enthusiastically, patting his friend's broad shoulder. Only his stomach cringed just as he spoke and the food he'd generously shoveled onto his lunch tray earlier no longer looked that appetizing. Jesus Christ Superstar, _three_ to begin with? The Alpha took a deep breath and adjusted his spectacles, telling himself everything was okay. It was good that Ludwig talked so much about his plans – uncharacteristically so in fact – because this meant he didn't have to take an active part in the dreaded 'future talk' and share his plans with the rest of their group. The last thing he needed was to get some more disapproving comments from his friends over his intention to further his studies instead of settling down. The only other Alpha among his friends who was still single (and fine with it) was Mathias Kohler, but the loud blond who never bothered to comb his hair was too aloof to care anyway.

Thankfully, Alfred's attention was drawn away from his current predicament when the new kids walked into the cafeteria and occupied a table in the back. The two Alphas and four Omegas were keeping to themselves and not sparing as much as a glance to anyone outside their group, which was a relief for now because he could leisurely observe the green-eyed blond named Arthur without being caught staring.

And there were some interesting observations to be made too, aside from the obvious – the dark-haired Alpha from the other day hadn't been holding his hand when they'd come in (the way couples usually did) and wasn't sitting next to him now either. All six of them appeared to have a friendly, casual conversation and no meaningful glances were exchanged between the Omega and his protector. Was it because they were for some reason keeping things under wrap when their friends were present? Or maybe, just _maybe_… there wasn't anything between them after all, but he didn't dare hope just yet.

"Right, so you think you had it hard, but the Advanced P.E. class was the fuckest fuck-up in the history of fuck-ups," Gilbert declared. "You know how Francis told us we weren't supposed to stick out and have them figure that we're stronger and faster than everyone else? We did such a good job at pretending that we ended up lagging behind at every single exercise and we were made the laughing stock of all these idiots! Pftttt…"

"Guys, I really don't think these stupid classes are going to be our biggest problem," Elizaveta pointed. "Do you not see what's going on? This is the last year of highschool – almost everyone is officially or unofficially taken. For fuck's sake, they already talk of kids and stuff! _We_ however are on the outside entirely, so what the actual hell are we going to do about it?!"

"It's called lying," Lukas replied, cutting his food stoically. "One or two of us might still be single, but the rest will be 'taken'. The story is that all our parents work together and move around a lot, so it's easy to say our future mates go to different schools. It's not like anyone's going to check this shit."

Meanwhile, Arthur was staring down at the two blue pills carefully placed on one corner of his tray. So these were the compulsory supplements everyone was taking to sustain the artificial Alpha and Omega genes from regressing. What an unbelievable crap, the blond pondered while pushing his food around. He couldn't even understand how the others were able to eat – the suffocating mixture of scents from all the regular students was enough to cut his appetite completely and bring him on the verge of throwing up. Darn, he would have to ask Francis for one of those nasal filters the more sensitive agents were given to wear. He hoped he would be allowed to get one this early on the 'fieldwork'.

* * *

A few tables away, Alfred noticed that the green-eyed Omega looked upset again and was mostly pretending to eat. And the sight brought up a sudden need of being protective which he'd never felt before for anyone except his little brother. Hell, the sharp surge of competitiveness and now this? Arthur was surely doing some strange things to him already and the two of them hadn't even properly met yet. Oh chill will you, it's not like you could protect him from whatever problem he has with his asshole of a brother – the nasty voice in Alfred's head piped up – it's their family and that dickhead has _rights_, remember? Damn.

"God, if you idiots are quite done talking about this boring shit, has anyone checked out the new Omegas?" Kohler inquired over the table conversation, motioning with his head. "If you haven't noticed there's four of them and only two Alphas, namely the absolute losers from earlier. That, my friends, is unfair by any fucking measure I can think of!"

Ludwig shook his head disapprovingly while Ivan continued to enjoy his lunch impassible, neither of them heeding the comment as they proceeded with their business. Alfred looked again though, abandoning his barely poked on vegetables. He'd only noticed Arthur because the slender blond was his interest, but all three boys and the brunette girl with waist-long hair were gorgeous and each of them was beautiful in a very special, almost exotic way. As were Antonio and Gilbert - his nasty inner voice instantly pointed out - effectively ruining whatever innocent pleasure he could have taken in watching them.

"And?" a gruff blond named Berwald asked dryly. "You have a plan or something?"

Kohler's face lit up and his mouth widened in his usual mischievous grin. "Of course I have a _plan_! Challenge them, win the fight and take 'spoils of war', bro."

"Uh… dude, that's not-"

But the wild-haired blond was already on his feet and, before anyone could stop him, picked up his lunch tray and launched it towards the newcomers' table with a swift and forceful throw. Alfred stared in absolute horror as the tray flew straight towards Arthur's head, but the Omega dodged it in the last second with a natural, fluid move which seemed almost a coincidence. The rest of their group avoided being hit just as successfully, seemingly by some crazy luck, minimizing the 'damage' when the object crashed into the wall by their side and the food on it flew on all directions.

"Great, now amusement has turned to hostility," Lukas observed."You two are making an increasingly better job by the minute it seems. And this _was_ my favorite t-shirt, morons."

To which Antonio pointed that, sad as it may have been, they couldn't very well punch people through the wall and get away with it. Then he stood up, brushing a loaf of salami off his sleeve as he turned to face the still laughing attacker.

"Hey _amigo_, you don't need to overreact. I swear that whoever it was who stole your hairstyle products, we had nothing to do with it!" he said cheerfully. "So maybe count to five and take a deep breath before you hurt yourself or something."

The eloquence was entirely wasted on Kohler though, as the unruly blond kicked his chair back with a loud screech and rolled up his sleeves demonstratively. "Yeah? Guess what, you stupid fucks, big words don't make up for the lack of balls!"

"Ah, well, looks like this can't be helped after all. Bring it on then, pretty boy," the dark-haired Alpha replied in the same tone. "Playing with food had better not be the best you can do…"

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city Dr. Francis Bonnefoy was enjoying a little coffee-and-smoke break, painfully unaware that he was about to have yet another meaningful conversation with Principal Rome Vargas shortly.

_**To be continued**_

**A/N – Yep, I'm still not helping… **


	5. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

A/N – Hello everyone! I know I haven't updated this in ages and I'm sorry, first of all because I'm really fond of this plot. But both the significant load of work and some problems in my personal life kept me from writing my usual stuff for a while, so there you have it… And yeah, some actual USUK is about to happen… ;)

* * *

Alfred walked hurriedly down the empty hall towards the Principal's office, wondering about the dimensions of the shit Kohler had gotten himself into this time, texting Ivan as he went. He knew that Mathias had an even more confrontational and competitive nature than most Alphas, but he hadn't imagined that his unruly friend would start an open fight in the cafeteria, making Berwald join too. And on top of everything, what Kohler thought it would be an easy victory turned into a defeat as devastating as it was surprising, when the two new Alphas everyone had laughed at in P.E. had both him and his friend on the ground in no time.

Upon turning the corner, he saw that the four new Omegas were discreetly supervising the Principal's door, in obvious concern for their friends. Alfred's heart jolted with both delight and slight panic as he was too close to turn back now, not that he wanted to. The young Alpha suddenly found himself so nervous that he didn't even know what to do, or what he really wanted.

The four of them turned at the sound of approaching footsteps and inspected him cautiously, so the only thing Alfred could do was to grace them with a light smile in return.

"Uh… hey," the blue-eyed blond said, motioning awkwardly towards the closed door. "I uh… I wanted to apologize for my friends back there, they got carried away and started all this trouble… It was very stupid and you could have gotten hurt, I'm really sorry. I'm Alfred, by the way."

The pale blond leaning closer to the door nodded, still looking somewhat circumspect as if an Alpha apologizing wasn't something any of them expected. "It's okay. I'm Lukas," the boy replied eventually. "These two are Vlad and Elizaveta and-"

"_These two_?" the brunette piped up with a scowl.

"Chill, yeah? And Arthur," her friend finished the introduction.

By that time Alfred had slowly drawn closer to the group, such that now he was standing right in front of the green-eyed Omega who looked up at him with a curious expression. His eyes were a truly lovely and unusual shade seen from up close, the light green dotted with flecks of grey and moss.

"Wow, you're really-" the Alpha student stopped (and inwardly slapped himself hard) because he was just about to say 'gorgeous'.

Arthur shyly averted his gaze, shrugging. "Yeah, I really am the one who got punched in the face on the first day in front of the whole school. Seems that I've become rather… known or something."

"No! I mean… damn. I-I mean that's not what I wanted to say," Alfred stuttered, looking away from the vague bruise still visible on the side of the smaller blond's face. Making the Omega feel offended or uncomfortable was the last thing he wanted. "Again, I want to apologize for my friend, and I wanted to make sure he didn't hurt you guys with his half-assed stunt…"

Arthur's eyebrow almost shot up in surprise. There was something peculiar and intriguing about this Alpha he'd spotted before in the restrooms, from up close he was oddly shy, lacking the aggressive confidence displayed by others. That and he was pretty damn sure he'd never heard his Alpha brothers apologize for anything, not ever.

"Thank you," the green-eyed blond said softly."We're okay though, and we're… uh…"

"We've been to several new schools until now and this stuff sort of happens sometimes," Lukas intervened. "I guess people want to see what we're made of, or something."

What 'they were made of'? The young Alpha blinked, puzzled by that peculiar statement which sounded rather uncharacteristic for an Omega, having sounded as if it contained a hidden challenge. Yet the boy who had spoken it was nothing but delicate, his voice soft and features dainty, even if his midnight-blue eyes had an unreadable gaze.

Alfred also wanted to ask how come they'd been to several different schools, but he didn't get the chance as the Principal's door opened and the new Alphas walked out. The sudden motion got him distracted as the blue-eyed blond instinctively tried to peek inside to see his friend, murmuring a vague 'see you guys later' to the group.

* * *

"So, to wrap this up, I get half my face punched off by that fuck and the Principal gives me a warning scolding as a result, while you two pound someone into the bloody floor and you're merely told to take your fights elsewhere. Well, that's just bloody brilliant, I'll say."

Antonio took a drag from his cigarette casually before passing it to Gilbert, who was still in an excited mood after their victory. "That's because we're _supposed_ to fight, Arthur," he said conciliatorily. "Besides, those assholes started it, and we were only protecting you. On the not-so-bright side, Gilbo here might have gotten a bit carried away and damaged some school property, so I'm afraid that Francis has probably gotten another phone call by now."

"Oh, come on!" the albino defended himself. "I only broke a couple of those shit food trays, does that even count as _school property_?! Don't know what the fuck is wrong with State Budget funds if they can't afford to have decent ones, like ones which don't fucking snap at the lightest touch!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, still sulking as he sat down with his back against the wall and his knees to his chest. He knew that what had happened wasn't out of the ordinary per say, but still he couldn't help taking the iniquity personally. Speaking of which, he would have liked a smoke right now, but there were other Alphas there this time and Omegas didn't smoke – potentially health hazardous stuff like that was strictly prohibited for child bearers. He sighed - it was surely going to be a very long year and there was no way of telling what else would go wrong by the end of it.

"I saw that guy from the restrooms was there with you – Alfred Jones, I think? He's in our Maths class," the dark-haired boy said, breaking his grim train of thought. "What'd he want?"

The 'Omega' shrugged. "Nothing, really. He's friends with those two, wanted to apologize for what they did and see if we were alright. That was surprisingly benevolent, I suppose. Maybe not everyone in this school sucks…"

Antonio's eyebrow shot up and he scowled. "No shit. I think he likes you. He had _that look_ again and his eyes were on you and you alone. That right, Gilbo?"

"Yep."

The blond rolled his eyes again. "That's ridiculous. He doesn't even know me!"

"Mi amigo, the regulars just want to mate, that's like roughly 70% of all they're thinking of, so whether he knows you or not might not be of the essence here. Man looks at you, he likes what he sees, and then-" Antonio snapped his fingers suggestively.

"Fuck you, Tony."

"You're that sweet bunny he wants to pick up and 'pet', not knowing that all you're thinking of is how to bite his fingers off, kesesesese."

* * *

Thankfully for Alfred, Mathias and Berwald's spectacular failure at gaining an upper hand over the new Alphas and 'get spoils of war' was the talk of day and he was spared from giving any explanations while he unsuccessfully tried to calm the butterflies in his stomach. Now he officially knew Arthur and his friends! Which meant he could talk to them and maybe find out whether Antonio was really Arthur's chosen mate. Still, he was in need of some time alone, so at the end of the classes headed for the library before anyone could stop him.

When he entered the large, mostly deserted space filled with neatly arranged rows of shelves, and spotted a certain Omega in front of the catalogue screen, apparently all alone, he froze on the spot. Could this be his lucky day? And what _should_ he say to Arthur? Perhaps it was best to find a way not to startle or overwhelm the boy to begin with.

However, Arthur had picked up his scent almost the very moment he'd walked in through the door. Well, not _his_ scent, because untouchables were unable to recognise regulars' individual scents (normally having no scent themselves and living among equally scentless people this didn't make sense and they tended to think of it as a rather animalistic thing), but he could tell someone was coming, probably an Alpha, because their smell was stronger and more unpleasant than an Omega's.

Scowling, he quickly reached into his back jeans pocket and took out the menthol container, taking one deep inhale while he briefly considered the situation. They'd decided that for the sake of appearances they couldn't stick together at all times, so the blond had decided to spend some time checking the library – since the institute didn't have that many books and he loved to read. But now, as the steps were clearly coming his way, Arthur was wondering if this had been such a good idea after all.

Alfred tried his best to make this look like a coincidence (because it really was a coincidence) and not like he was stalking the poor Omega, by popping up randomly and unexpectedly. Especially because he had this gut feeling that the boy was particularly sensitive – the first time he'd seen Arthur in the restrooms, well granted it had been a stressful situation but the green-eyed blond had looked like a frightened bunny upon laying eyes on him.

So he decided to draw closer from the side, gradually allowing himself into the other's visual range. But even so, the young Alpha could notice Arthur's finger pausing on the flat screen, shoulders almost inconspicuously tensing and his Adam's apple moving as he swallowed. Maybe throwing in a joke would relax the atmosphere a bit?

"Hey! Like I said earlier, I'm Alfred and to my credit I would like to point out that I _don't_ eat people."

Aaaand… that had sounded _several degrees_ of very stupid, the blue-eyed blond thought morosely, worrying his lip while he waited for a reaction.

"Good for you, they're pumped with chemicals," the Omega replied casually, in a soft voice, eyes still glued to the screen as he resumed his scrolling through the titles. His scent seemed calm and relaxed, which was rather confusing because his slightly hunched posture seemed to tell otherwise.

Alfred rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish smile before he even realised he was doing it. "Look… heh… I know I have a terrible timing…"

The smaller blond looked up at last, taking him in curiously. "For what?"

"For everything, really. So… what do you think about this school so far?"

Arthur smiled a bit. "It's okay I suppose… people are nice, classes are okay, they have good books here," he pointed at the screen briefly, but then his smile was gone."Principal Vargas is an asshole."

He didn't know –and highly doubted- whether Omegas ever used such foul and disrespectful words, particularly in regard to Alpha authority figures, but right now he didn't give a fuck. It was better if Alfred was appalled by it and backed off from his pursuit (because Arthur already had a suspicion that Antonio was right about this) sooner than later.

The statement baffled the young Alpha – he clearly hadn't seen that coming – but he found it to 'rhyme' strangely with what the other kid had said. There was the same defensive, passive-aggressive attitude, which Arthur had expressed even more bluntly. How strange…

"Uh… yeah, he is. He gave my little brother a hard time a while ago and poor Mattie wouldn't hurt a fly."

By the way Arthur pressed his lips tightly and looked away, as if unconsciously trying to hide the still bruised side of his face, the blue-eyed blond guessed Vargas had done the same to him. He must have blamed the Omega for the incident on the first day of school.

"Anyway, sorry about that. Um… Lukas said you guys have been to several schools until now, how come?"

"Yeah, all our fathers work together for a research institute and they move around a lot. So yeah, we've been to several schools and some people don't like newcomers so… what he meant to say was that we had to stick together. That's why Gil and Tony are so protective of us," the smaller blond said with a hint of sadness, tilting his head and involuntarily exposing the side of his pale neck.

And again Alfred felt overwhelmed by the desire to protect the Omega, to wrap his arms around his thin body, hold him tightly and dot him with kisses, the feeling poisoned with jealousy and insecurity. In the end all he could do was to purse his mouth in a bitter grimace which he hoped the other hadn't noticed.

"That's cool… I mean Antonio's a good guy," the Alpha muttered."Pretty strong too. And it looks like he cares a lot about you."

Arthur froze, one hand gripping the edge of the screen, and telling himself he had no reason to panic didn't help at all. He knew what Alfred was _asking_, but… had Antonio said anything? He couldn't have been, not without telling him about it. Besides, they'd all agreed that pretending they were coupled within their group wouldn't have worked, they didn't have enough experience with the regulars to fake it right and it would have caused a lot of awkwardness too. But then again… well, he could make up a story that his future mate was at another school, but it suddenly seemed too complicated and Arthur was tired, he was already so tired of this shit.

He looked up again and shrugged, mustering a small smile. "Yeah, but we're just friends."

Oh. Ooooohhh. "Uh… right. Shit. I'm sorry, I guess I made a goof and it's none of my business anyway," Alfred mumbled apologetically. 'Goodness, walk away now, before you say some other stupid shit' his inner voice warned and he decided to listen."Right. Well, I gotta go now, have to pick up Mattie from his extra drawing class. Guess I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Sure."

As he walked out of the library, Alfred couldn't help his mouth widening into a large, happy grin.

_**To be continued**_


	6. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

A/N – Hello everyone! Delayed this even more than expected due to some minor computer problems, thankfully solved now :) So excited to be back with a new, slightly longer update – the action is picking up from here and honestly you couldn't ever guess what's coming after this relatively 'peaceful' and fluffy chapter where things progress and stuff… Anyway, I should cease this ranting I usually successfully substitute to meaningful author notes and bring on the actual chap ;) Enjoy!

* * *

The next days passed in a happy, hopeful daze for the young Alpha. He was increasingly convinced that the odds were in his favor since he actually got Mathias and Berwald to apologize to the newcomers' group for the cafeteria incident and all of them started to meet for lunch. And while these obviously didn't count like one-on-one meetings, he still got to be around Arthur, talk to the Omega and observe him when he was at ease with his friends around. It turned out that by nature Arthur wasn't very talkative, but when he did open his mouth he said no nonsense, and he wasn't silly or shallow like most Omegas. It was a rather unusual trait which his friends seemed to share as well, and while most Alphas would have probably found him boring, Alfred liked it. Also, unlike most Omegas who were keen on attracting longing stares, the green-eyed boy never seemed to pay attention to how he was being looked at by others, completely oblivious to his own ravishing alluringness.

But still, despite the elevation of his aspirations and overall awareness, in the end Alfred was only human and so that morning he was (very much) looking forward to the Joined P.E. class where both classifications would be exercising together and he would have the chance to observe Arthur in the standard short-shorts (and hopefully not be observed in turn and caught staring). As he walked down the hall the blue-eyed blond's mind was hopelessly filled with anticipation and he was barely paying attention to Mattie speaking about his latest drawing assignments.

"And now it's your turn to be laughed at," Gilbert said with a humorless chuckle, adjusting the strap of the bag with his P.E. equipment. "Or be stared at… or something. A welcome distraction from us, I should hope."

"Who the fuck cares what they're doing, huh? Whether they're laughing, or staring, or drooling, or fuck knows what? They're just a bunch of stinky regulars, all of them," Elizaveta grumbled with a pissed expression.

The group was making their way towards the gym hall and the brunette was already half-fuming for some reason, so Arthur gripped her arm lightly, hoping a few words of caution should have the desired effect.

"Liz, you know that the Alphas _might be_ staring at your boyfriend…" Her arm tensed under his fingers. "But it doesn't bloody mean anything, okay? Just try not to rip anyone's head off."

Gilbert was about to make a similar suggestion when a yelp suddenly alerted him that someone smaller coming from around the corner had bumped into him. Alfred too was abruptly pulled from his happy musings when Mattie's books scattered on the floor with a startling thud and the younger sibling was barely caught in mid-fall by a strong arm.

"Ah, shit! Sorry! Are you okay?!" the untouchable boy asked, gradually easing his grip on the little Omega's arm. But the blue-eyed blond was just looking up at him wide-eyed, speechless and almost in panic, so Gilbert pulled his hand away quickly and crouched down to rapidly gather the fallen books from the ground.

"I-I'm sorry…" Mattie stuttered, inching back towards his older brother. "I didn't mean to hit you, I just-"

Gilbert cringed inwardly upon seeing the younger boy in such distress, but he didn't let the uncomfortable feeling reach his face. Instead, he smiled softly, offering the stack of books he'd quickly dusted off with the hem of his shirt. "Kid, it's okay, really, I'm not made of glass. Here, you dropped these!"

Alfred couldn't help a light, involuntary scowl as Mattie thanked his friend, blushing a bit as he did. "Right, Mattie, this is my friend Gilbert," he said at last, shaking it off as he continued with the rest of the newcomers' group. "Everyone, this is my little brother Mattie."

But his Omega sibling's eyes were still glued to Gilbert, even if now he was shyly smiling and making small talk with his new friends and Alfred felt the tinge of irritation persisting. Not because he had a bad opinion on the albino or anything, but still, he was two years older than Mattie and hell, Mattie was his little brother and he was supposed to be protective of him. Of course, in the back of his mind the Alpha did realize that 'protective' shouldn't have meant 'suffocating' and besides, it was rather crucial that Mattie would find someone to settle with after the end of highschool. And from what he knew so far, Gilbert was available.

"You like Arthur," Mattie piped up as soon as they were alone again, taking a little detour to drop the Omega at his literature class. "I saw how you were looking at him," the boy giggled.

Damn. So his brother had been paying attention to stuff other than Gilbert. Not necessarily a good thing, Alfred thought. "I like all of them, they're really nice guys," he grumbled unconvincingly while keeping his gaze on the path ahead.

Mattie rolled his eyes. "It _is_ rather obvious, you know?"

"Great, glad to hear it," the older sibling replied, with an open scowl now. "Just don't mention it to Dad, okay? Please, Mattie!"

"But… why wouldn't you want Dad to know that you like someone?"

'Because that's something expected of you right now, not of me', the young Alpha thought, but the bitter words would have hurt his brother so he gritted his teeth and kept it in. "Because he'll think that next thing I'll want is to be mated and drop out of school to raise a family and stuff. Which kinda goes against the plan, you know? Besides, it's much too early, I don't even know if Arthur likes me back or anything…"

* * *

"Are you sure I can't just, like, flip them the fing-"

"No!"

Arthur grimaced, turning away from his friends' bickering. He eyed the network of iron bars hanging from the ceiling, some lower and some higher, wondering if it would have been too much for an Omega to climb and try their arm muscles on them. The green-eyed blond waited for a bit to see if anyone else was willing to give them a try before deciding, but the majority of the students had already split up in small groups and started exercising – the Alphas were obviously all over the weights and heavier stuff, while the Omegas had taken to running laps around the large hall or other cardio workouts. Boring. But well, he had to get started on something soon, or the Alpha coach would be on his back in an instant.

"You're not seriously considering those, are you?"

Arthur nearly jumped, whipping his head around to discover none other than the person Gilbert and Antonio had jokingly referred to as his 'stalker on duty'. He didn't really mind, the blue-eyed Alpha was both surprisingly well-mannered and behaved and not quite an eyesore (if he were to be honest), but bloody hell was he creepy popping up like that at all times – in the restroom, in the almost deserted library, from around corners…

Alfred was smiling and the 'Omega' felt an irresistible urge to put up a challenge, even if there were more than slim chances that it was a bad idea. He scrunched up his nose playfully.

"Actually I am. What about you, Alfred Jones?" he replied in a tone of voice which had sounded slightly more flirty than he'd intended, bending his knees before he launched himself upwards in a bold jump and caught the lowest bar. From there he hauled himself up and climbed a bit higher, inside the steel labyrinth. Once there, he looked down at the staring Alpha and raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Alfred's mouth, which had been gaping in obvious awe, widened into a cheeky grin. "I'll catch you, Arthur Kirkland," he stated." Just wait and see…"

Flexing his muscles, the Alpha lifted himself onto the steel contraption as well, just in time to see Arthur move away from him towards the center of the hall, climbing higher and out of his reach. But despite the fresh predatory surge at the sight of the Omega's curves as the blond moved like an agile feline, he knew better than to give his all to the chase and risk both him and Arthur to fall – there were thick mattresses on the ground below but accidents could happen anyway.

However, this was not how Arthur interpreted his hesitation. The green-eyed boy smirked smugly, thinking that Alfred was either doubting his own climbing skills or he was just afraid to get so high up. Yet that cheeky smile didn't falter and his pursuer advanced, slowly but surely, making him move further away, as swiftly as the setting allowed. Eventually there was nowhere left to go and he wasn't going to let the Alpha catch him either (Arthur fleetingly figured that he must have had a flight instinct far more developed than other people and it had just kicked in, even though he wasn't in any real danger). The only way 'out' was to bypass Alfred without getting grabbed and to reach the lower bars, then jump down. Yeah, it was a plan.

One the blue-eyed boy figured with ease though. He saw the Omega panting slightly – the effort was catching up with him, if anything else wasn't, and he was running out of space to go. Of course, Alfred was planning on winning this little chase – not with a full grab but just a simple touch would have been enough to mark his victory, and maybe this was an 'innocent' opportunity to get a feel of those smooth bare calves, feel Arthur's hot skin under his fingers if only for just a moment.

The young Alpha's grin grew wider and wider as Arthur was making the exact moves he'd been anticipating and his victory was drawing near. Only things didn't go quite as planned until the end, because the smaller blond avoided being grabbed in the last moment, jumping down from the bars right under his nose. The Omega landed on the mattress below, tumbling on his back as he did and Alfred mindlessly pursued, letting go and successfully trapping the other boy under his body without crushing him (too much).

"Gotcha!" he exclaimed victoriously, his face hovering mere inches above his prey's. The moment was absolutely perfect, Arthur's cheeks were deliciously flushed, eyes a bit wide and his pink lips were slightly parted as he panted, if only Alfred could just lean in and kiss him right now-

And then his glasses slid off his nose and hit Arthur full in the forehead before bouncing off onto the mattress next to his head.

"Ow!" the green-eyed boy said, scrunching his face.

Absolutely epic.

And of course, _fucking everyone_ saw it happening and burst into laughter.

* * *

Alfred honestly thought he'd never hear the end of it for the rest of the day, even Mattie had laughed at his flirting mishap, but thankfully Arthur had treated it with a sense of humor and hadn't gotten upset or anything. Moreover, the delightful Omega had even agreed to meet him after classes to hang out in the school's back yard, the one which was set up like a miniature park.

"So… have you decided what you want to do after the end of this year?"

Alfred was both curious and worried at the other's answer. Before he started anything with Arthur he had to come clean about his plans for the future and not give the Omega any false hopes just yet. He didn't know if Arthur – or anyone really, he thought with dismay sometimes – would be willing to wait for him to finish his studies before getting mated. Such that he didn't even dare hope…

"I don't know…. I suppose I'll find a job of sorts in some general store or something. My mother's been working on occasion too and she says the pay isn't that bad…"

Arthur shrugged, looking away and slightly disappointed in the prospect. But then there weren't many job options for Omegas as it was. They could only apply for low level jobs and getting a job wasn't encouraged in general unless the family didn't have much of a choice. Still, there was something else about the way he'd said it, something the blue-eyed blond couldn't exactly put his finger on, like a jaded carelessness which he found very odd. It was as if the other wasn't concerned about the future at all, even if he didn't have a settled future mate like most Omegas in the final year.

"What about you?"

Alfred glanced down at the boy who was sitting on the bench with his knees held up against his chest almost defensively and struggled to open his mouth and answer.

"Actually, I'll still be in school for, like, another four years after this. I'll study to become a doctor and then hopefully I'll get a chance to work with my father at his institute. It's gonna be pretty big if I make it and stuff…"

"That's cool," the green-eyed blond said with a smile, much to his surprise.

"You think so?"

"Sure. Don't you?" Arthur looked up, questioningly. "I mean, that's not what you want to do?"

"Yeah, it is, but…" The blue-eyed blond didn't know what to think. Was the other aware of what he was actually saying?

Yes, the 'Omega' was aware, he understood perfectly. And it brought unexpected relief to know that Alfred wasn't in the same mating frenzy as everyone else, perhaps he'd be happy with just some casual flirting (which he found out that he rather enjoyed) and then Arthur wouldn't have to deceive him too much… And he wouldn't be awfully hurt after the end of the school year, when the untouchable was going to vanish without a trace, as if he'd never existed.

"Um… Arthur… does that mean that you're not in a hurry, you know, to settle down and stuff?"

The Alpha moved slowly and took a seat next to him and the untouchable boy felt a bolt of discomfort in his stomach. What was he supposed to say? All Omegas were more or less hell-bent on getting mated and having children as soon as possible. He couldn't really say otherwise…

"Uh, well, not in a hurry…" he stuttered, looking away from the other boy's piercing stare. "I mean I do want all that, but… I-I think it should be with someone who's worth it, you know? Worth waiting for even… Don't you think the same?"

Alfred smiled, secretly breathing in relief as he drew closer, intent on draping his arm around the green-eyed blond's shoulders. And maybe next he would-… The all too familiar scent of cigarettes hit his nostrils the moment he got closer to the Omega and he instinctively frowned.

"Arthur… have you been… _smoking_?"

The smaller blond flinched visibly. "Ah, no… Tony and Gil were in the last break and I've been out with them. My shirt must have caught the smell, is it so bad?" he asked innocently.

But the Alpha didn't answer, frown persisting as he leaned in without warning and kissed Arthur on the mouth, a bit forcefully, capturing his parted lips and tasting them in full.

"You've been smoking." Alfred's gaze was cold and stern now, all friendliness gone. "I'll have to report you for this, do you realize that?"

The Omega froze at first, his eyes wide in horror. "N-uh… I-I didn't… You can't prove it! You can't prove shit!" he snapped angrily, pulling himself free from the other's touch. Arthur just couldn't believe how something that stupid could get him into trouble, and it had been even more bloody stupid of him to trust the Alpha enough to let him this close. The bastard! He sat up abruptly, intent on removing himself from that place as quickly as possible, but his legs were shaking so badly that he stumbled and very nearly fell face first on the concrete.

Alfred was stunned. Admittedly, he'd been a bit shocked at the discovery, but he'd only meant to make a joke (quite a bad one, now that he thought of it), in any case he hadn't expected such a reaction. The blue-eyed blond lunged forward, catching the stumbling boy, Arthur's body now shaken by shivers and violent sobs.

"Shhh… It's alright," the Alpha soothed, gathering him in his arms gently and burying his nose into the short, light hairs at the nape of his neck. The other boy still struggled weakly, mumbling to be let go, but Alfred held him tightly, pressing his back against his chest as he kissed his hair. "Arthur, I'm so sorry! Please forgive me, I just made a bad joke but I didn't mean it, I won't tell anyone, God, I swear! Please, calm down, baby. What are you so afraid of?"

The other closed his eyes, wiping his moist cheeks with the back of his hand and taking a deep breath as his shaking eventually subsided. He inwardly cursed for getting so scared, but it was a fact that even a minor thing like this could have alerted Principal Vargas that there was something unusual about him and then he would have put everyone in danger.

"I-It's complicated…" he replied at last, biting his lip awkwardly. "I can't…"

Alfred only tightened his grip after pulling the Omega in his lap and turning him to the side so that he could get a look at his face. God, he was such an idiot, thinking that one embrace could protect Arthur from all his troubles, like that arsehole of a brother. And maybe Arthur's dad wasn't much better either, if he'd raised his Alpha son like that.

"It's okay, baby, it's okay. You don't have to say anything if you don't want to," the blue-eyed blond said softly. He leaned in and, after briefly rubbing the tip of his nose against Arthur's, kissed him again, sweetly, gently and taking his time.

* * *

"You know, Alfred seems like a really good guy."

Antonio kept his eyes on the road head as he drove, but the tension filling the air as he spoke the words could be felt regardless. He didn't need to look in the rearview and see his friend sulking on the back seat, next to Lukas.

"So?"

"So maybe you shouldn't lead him on, Arthur. I know that Francis said we should make friends among the regulars, but you realize it was only for observation purposes, right? We can't let anything get serious and stuff."

The green-eyed blond was scowling openly now. "Get _serious_? Didn't you say that they all have only one thing on their mind?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to be the usual type, so what if he ends up wanting more? And after the end of this year you know you can't see him again, so it wouldn't be fair to break his heart, that's all."

Arthur huffed, irritated. "Well you know what, Tony, maybe you don't remember your family but I bloody remember mine and I know one thing: Alphas don't love, they _own_. My father owned my mother and me and he bloody treated us accordingly! I mean yeah, Jones is nice and maybe he's different, but what if he isn't and this is just part of the courtship phase or something? He's been okay so far and…um… I rather enjoy his company, but he's still a regular and I don't trust him. "He paused, sighing. "I know what you're really trying to say, Tony, but there's nothing you should worry about."

Antonio looked up to the rearview mirror and smiled bitterly. "Okay. Had a rough day again, haven't you?"

The blond only nodded, feeling spent after the short but intense exchange.

"Ask Francis to give you something to sleep."

_**To be continued**_


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! Well, time for a new update and I'm so excited because things are progressing and this is the last chapter before the major twist in the plot (don't worry, there will be no spoilers for the time being and there's nothing to hint at what's coming). So in the meantime enjoy today's update ;)

* * *

"You must be joking."

Dr. Bonnefoy sighed, already fumbling in his pocket for his cigarettes, while the green-eyed boy standing next to him crossed his arms, sporting an open frown. Arthur, dressed in nothing but his boxers and an undershirt, was disbelievingly eyeing his own bed, where a strange setting of pillows and blankets bunched up was placed.

"You were all laughing about it, so I'll make each of you – as it is your turn to 'go into heat' – go through this. Omegas spend an entire week, but you won't be left to laze around more than one day. That is a nest and you will stay in it until tonight. "

"That's ridiculous!"

"That's how their bodies work. That's how ours should be working – as per the twisted theory – so we might as well learn how to fake it well. Please, make yourself comfortable."

The doctor tilted his head, looking expectant, so Arthur marched into the bedroom petulantly and plopped in the prepared setting, pulling his bare legs to his chest. Damn, the whole pile of pillows and blankets… thing did look like a _nest_. If this wasn't fucked-up, he didn't know what was.

"And now what, I'm supposed to lay an egg or something?"

Francis let out a small chuckle. "You're supposed to satisfy your overwhelming sexual needs in a comforting environment over the period of your heat. So be grateful I didn't make you strip completely while you're at it, for the sake of authenticity."

The boy turned around before the doctor would see his blush and he'd never hear the end of it. "I hope you won't let me starve here! And what the hell am I _actually _supposed to do?" He instantly regretted asking the question, but Francis spared him the very embarrassing and predictable answer.

"Go on and take a nap if you want, I know how tough your daily training is. And you'll be brought food at lunchtime, there's no need to despair, _mon Dieu…_"

Left to his own devices, Arthur curled up on his side and considered his options – a nap did sound good, although he could have done without this whole experience. He was glad for the week off from school, obviously, but any mention of the regulars and especially Omegas brought Alfred into his thoughts and he didn't want to think about the Alpha. The blue-eyed boy had already gotten under his skin more than it was advisable and if he let things continue… If only he'd had any experience with all this stuff he would have known how to handle things in a manner which would minimize damage, but the unknown scared him. As it was, Arthur was painfully aware that Alfred did things to him and he couldn't control what was going on, he couldn't control himself. The thought of bearing with it until the end of the school year brought a painful knot in his throat.

His anxious thought were brusquely interrupted by a vibrating sound, followed by the ringtone of his cell, which was still barely familiar to the boy (they'd had no need for personal cell phones while at the institute, they'd only gotten the devices when assigned the 'highschool year' mission.) As such, it was still in his unopened school bag, ignored.

Instantly Arthur panicked further – instinctively guessing who it could have been. But Alfred knew… that he was having his 'heat' this week. So was he supposed to answer his phone under these circumstances? Would an Omega even be able to? Actually, wanking off couldn't have possibly been incapacitating or anything (if Francis had actually bothered to tell him the _whole _truth) but it must have surely been annoying to have one's phone ring in the middle of.

Well, he could at least take the phone out of his bag and see who was calling, but he wouldn't answer it. Arthur walked up to where the bag lay abandoned near the wardrobe and pulled the zipper open, only to have an odd smell hit his nostrils as his fingers dug in search for the phone.

He scowled, realising that his used P.E. equipment was still in the special compartment instead of the laundry. But this couldn't have been it… Without the special nasal filter he'd received for school use (three days into it and Arthur had realised there was no way in hell his sensitive liver could deal with the regulars' smell, menthol container or not) this turned out to be a very unpleasant surprise, especially as he opened the compartment and discovered an item which clearly didn't belong to him.

What the-…? And he also accidentally pressed the answer button. Shit.

"Hello? Arthur?"

Double shit, _it was_ Jones – the worst case scenario! What the hell was wrong with this day?! The green-eyed blond exhaled and swallowed back his irritation, hand shaking slightly as he gripped the phone and brought it to his ear. "H-Hello?"

"Hey, baby, what's up?"

The untouchable facepalmed. Seriously? "Uh… I'm nesting," he mumbled bluntly. "FUCK! Oh, _fuck me_, that's not what I wanted to say!" And now he'd just made it so much worse! What the f-

Alfred laughed, refraining to reply 'I'd love to'. Arthur was just so sweetly awkward at times, it simply warmed his heart. "Sure, I know, I'll be quick about it okay? Just wanted to say I put my P.E. t-shirt into your bag, I thought it might help with… you know… that my scent would be, uh… soothing." He didn't dare say 'maybe inspirational too', even thought he was hopeful, alas painfully unaware that the untouchable boy had just pulled out said t-shirt from his bag and had turned green in the process.

"Ahh… t-thank you… m-much appreciated." Arthur threw the offending item on the floor, far away from him, but the harm had been done already. "I-I have to go now…"

"Sure baby. See ya in school, take care!" The young Alpha blew a kiss into the phone, while at the end of the line Arthur tossed away the phone and rushed to the bathroom, kneeling in front of the toilet bowl.

* * *

"Christ kill me…" the green-eyed blond murmured between pants, feeling his whole body weak and drained. What a nasty surprise this had been, and he could only hope that Jones hadn't found anything suspicious about their little talk. How the hell did people talk in these circumstances anyway? Or maybe he had been very wrong to answer the phone to begin with?

Behind him, the dorm door opened and Antonio walked in, carrying two bowls of something. "Hey! Since I'm skipping school too today I thought I'd order some Chinese take-outs and Francis said you were already starving in here, so-… Are you alright?! Also, what's with the funny smell?"

"Jones slipped his P.E. shirt into my bag to help during my 'heat'. Just called to tell me," Arthur grumbled, hauling himself to his feet with some difficulty and moving to the sink to clean up. "He thinks I'll wank off while sniffing his shirt or something!"

The 'Alpha' snickered, lowering the bowls on the nightstand. "And would you?"

"For sure! In fact, I would probably have a raging hard-on right now… if only I wasn't half dead. Take that away and put it in the laundry and open the bloody window!"

Face still flushed and hair ruffled and damp, the blond dragged himself out of the bathroom eventually, walked up and proceeded to collapse on the bed, exhausted. Who knew the pillows and blankets would prove handy after all…

"I guess this is for later then," Antonio concluded motioning to the bowl. He sat down on the bed and continued to dig in his. "By the way, Francis said he might make all of us do this heat thing, just for the sake of killing the amusement. But he wasn't serious about… you know… was he?"

"Of course he was, why the hell do you think I got the stinky shirt?"

The dark-haired boy scowled slightly, pondering as he chewed. "For a week? Like, continuously? I mean… isn't that exhausting or something?"

"Yeah. Then again Omegas don't do military training like we do, Tony," Arthur grumbled, ill-humoredly. "But that's hardly the best part, no, the best part is that… _everyone knows_. Family, friends, people at school, etc. Can you imagine how 'cool' that is? Might as well wank off in the middle of the hallway!_"_

Left to his own devices and a bowl of cold food a while later, Arthur was again gripped by depressing thoughts. Alfred's call and all this talk about the regulars' habits was extremely triggering, again making him think of what it would have been like to actually be in a relationship with someone and… to get into bed with someone. With Alfred for example.

But the Health classes presented things in a very disheartening manner, it sounded like something awfully standard, routine-like, boring even instead of a pleasurable act of passion, if not love. He would have liked to do things too, enjoy Alfred's body in more ways, maybe explore it with his mouth… but that probably wasn't allowed. Then again, maybe Omegas didn't have such thoughts and desires in the first place, maybe both classifications were strictly conditioned what to want and like, such that fantasies were likely kept to a minimum. Alfred probably wouldn't want what he wanted. Hell, it was bloody obvious that this thing between them couldn't work in any way, not even in bed.

* * *

Gilbert was not happy (if not downright pissed) at the moment, this wasn't one of his happy days. _Others_ were allowed to skip classes, while he was having an increasingly hard time trying to keep things in check, especially Elizaveta, who was simply itching to punch in Alphas' faces, especially when they were ogling her boyfriend. In fact, he'd been so annoyed that he'd left the three 'Omegas' to handle the Vargas brothers for the rest of the day on their own, while he would just walk back to the institute alone.

Antonio was the one who usually drove the group's car, but they hardly ever got stuffed in it all together and since the 'Omegas' weren't allowed to drive as per Government regulations he was the only other driver in the group. But Gilbert disliked the car, it was a low budget item, as Francis had phrased it, that was to say an embarrassing piece of trash.

The albino made his way into the school's back yard to have a long, calming smoke in peace before heading home. Going out of the institute did have some clear perks aside from the obvious dangers, and cigarettes were one of them. Gilbert dropped on a bench, lowering his schoolbag from his shoulder, and dug into his pocket for the pack. Taking a long drag and blowing the smoke, the 'Alpha' sighed, leaning backwards as he looked around. He hoped to be alone – smoking was theoretically prohibited for all students – but instead spotted Alfred Jones's younger brother Mattie walking out into the yard, sporting a tormented expression as he was hurriedly fingering his cell phone. And then, suddenly, the small blond boy collapsed to his knees, clutching his stomach and dropping the phone and school bag.

Gilbert reacted instantly, tossing his cigarette aside as he jumped to his feet, and rushing to pick the Omega off the ground.

"Mattie! What's wrong?! Are you sick?!" he questioned worriedly, watching as the boy in his arms broke into a sweat, panting.

"I-It wasn't supposed to happen until two weeks from now," the blond murmured weakly. "I'm… I-I'm going… into… and it's worse than ever, God! I need to get home… Alfred's cell is dead or something, damn…"

"We can't wait for Alfred now, I'm taking you to the infirmary, okay?"

But Matthew stopped him, gripping his arm. "No, home! Dad's a specialized doctor, he knows what to do to me when this happens…"

Gilbert gulped, not knowing what to do. But there was no time to waste, and if Mattie needed to be taken home… hell, Jones was his friend, and he rather liked his little brother, it was the least he could do. Fuck, he should have taken the shit car, today of all days! The untouchable stood, scooping the Omega up in his arms. He could perceive the boy's scent more intensely than usual, which could only mean he was going into heat. Oh. Fuck. Why didn't Alfred answer his fucking phone, now of all times?!

Ignoring the rather disturbing sight of Mattie's nose buried into his jacket and he stares he got as he sped up through the school yard and out the gates (at least Mattie's intensified scent relieved him of the usual stress of the scent scanners), Gilbert hurried down the street. Luckily, the Jones brothers lived in a residential neighborhood not far from the school.

At this point the blond was barely able to speak enough to give him directions, instead his fingers gripped his shoulders as he moaned his name from time, inhaling deeply, and the untouchable realised with dismay that his fake Alpha scent must have been attractive to the poor Omega. This was so wrong in so many ways – Mattie being painfully misled, Alfred was going to kill him for getting near his little brother while he was in this state, Mr. Jones was going to kill him for getting anywhere near his son while he was in this state. And of course, on top of it all, was the difficulty to fake a regular's reaction. Any Alpha would have been instantly and powerfully aroused by Mattie's scent, instead all the albino felt was nausea from the boy's strong smell and the fright coiling in his stomach.

By the time he reached the Jones's front door and reached out to ring the bell, Gilbert couldn't think anything past the f word. And when the door opened and Dr. Jones appeared in the frame, tall and broad-shouldered and instantly scowling menacingly at the sight of his Omega son in the arms of an unknown Alpha, he could do nothing more than rapidly mumble a more or less intelligible explanation while transferring Mattie to his father.

Dr. Jones gave him a thoughtful (or maybe suspicious) once-over, which only frightened him further. A doctor had all the more chances to discover that something wasn't quite right with him, maybe even from one glance.

"Are you alright, son? You look a little pale…"

The 'Alpha' nodded quickly, already backing off. "Yes sir, fine. I-I've gotta go now."

As he walked down the lane, moving hurriedly away from the house, Gilbert desperately patted his back pockets, but the menthol container was gone, it must have slipped off when he was carrying Mattie. At the end of his strength, he stumbled to a trash bin and disposed of his earlier lunch.

_**To be continued**_

**A/N – Damn, everyone throws up in this chap! ****)) But brace yourselves because next time all hell breaks loose. You have been warned ;) Also, the PruCan moment is crucial for the plot. **


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! I couldn't help noticing that some of you are getting impatient for the advertised action and plot thickening and I am too, therefore, as promised, said action and plot thickening start NOW, in this chapter, exactly as planned (because believe it or not I do actually have a chapter plan and have everything already figured out ;)) So enjoy the drama!

* * *

Walking to school that morning Alfred's excitement at the thought of seeing Arthur again was shadowed by the bitter taste his father's harsh scolding from a few days before had left in his mouth and still lingered. But it had been just incredibly bad luck! His phone battery had fully discharged after calling Arthur, thing which had gone completely unnoticed in his happy daze.

In fact, the butterflies in his stomach had made him forget that he was supposed to pick up Mattie earlier and take him home in the break before his last class. A cold shiver had run down his spine upon receiving Gilbert's short text a while later when using the public charger and realizing that all hell was going to break loose when he got home. And the prediction had proven pretty accurate – his father was absolutely fuming at his lack of responsibility, since _anything_ could have happened while Mattie was in that state, what if Gilbert hadn't had enough restraint?

It had been a dangerous situation, but he wasn't angry with his friend, his brother was sick (Mattie's heats had always been very troublesome for some reason) and the albino just had to help him. In fact, he was quite grateful to Gilbert, even if his father had a scowl on his face at Mattie murmuring his name upon falling asleep, but even Dr. Jones had to admit that his friend had been nothing but exemplary in his behavior, if not oddly disinterested. Which was strange, because he seemed to like Mattie and even flirt a bit, albeit innocently. Alfred had figured he would have to have a talk with Gilbert on the subject at some point, but it was much too soon and Mattie was in the hospital anyway for now.

Maybe that was what should have worried him the most, even if Mattie had been taken to the hospital before when having a particularly violent heat - the young Alpha pondered – and his father was more concerned than usual because the pills his little brother was taking didn't seem to be working anymore. He had been visiting Mattie every day and he would again after school, but for now-

A certain green-eyed blond was there, by the lockers, with the rest of his group of friends, and all dark thoughts flew off Alfred's mind as if they'd never existed. He walked up to them, a wide grin involuntarily stretching his mouth as he crept behind Arthur to take him by surprise. Only Antonio saw him and for some reason burst into laughter, tipping off his crush who turned around in the last moment.

"Hey, baby! Have you missed me? " the Alpha asked, his arm sneaking around the smaller blond's slim waist while he leaned in to nuzzle his cheek and take a deep sniff of his fragrant scent. And it was absolutely endearing to see Arthur's cheeks instantly dusting with pink at that.

"Uh… yes," the other replied shyly, his hand searching Alfred's and lacing their fingers together. "Come on… let's talk," he added, pulling him away from the increasingly giggling group.

"What was that about?" Alfred asked when they were out of hearing range and Arthur was leading him towards the door leading to one of the inner yards people usually sneaked out to smoke. The devil on his shoulder fleetingly suggested the Alpha that if the two of them were to skip the first class, they would probably be alone out there.

"Nothing, they just won't stop teasing me a-about… you know…" Arthur stuttered. "Anyway, I brought your t-shirt… and it did smell great but I had to wash it, you know? Was the least I could do…" He paused, chewing his bottom lip and inwardly worried he was saying something terribly stupid just now. Maybe it had been wrong to wash the shirt? What if Jones was hoping to smell his heat scent on it? And that troublesome thought had only come to him when the damned thing was already in the laundry…

Thankfully, Alfred had other concerns momentarily. "Oh shit! I didn't think-… No one saw it, right? I-I mean, your family and stuff…" he asked, eyes wide with worry. "I… really don't want to get you into trouble!" And darn had this been a no-brainer! What if someone would have picked up _his_ scent in the Omega's room, maybe Arthur's mother?

"No, no! It was fine, I was extra careful, no one got a whiff of anything," the green-eyed boy replied with a smile, pulling closer.

Luckily they were all alone, just as Alfred had hoped, so the hell with it. "Want to skip with me? I was thinking we could spend some time here, unbothered…"

"Mhmmm."

Hands slowly made their way down Arthur's back as Alfred leaned in and brushed his lips against the Omega's, ever-so-teasingly. Arthur was still very shy when it came to it, like a sweet bunny, but he wasn't pulling away and had taken up his offer, which could only mean that he was willing to take things a bit further. His tongue darted out to lick the other's plump bottom lip, seeking entrance for the first time.

The untouchable boy panicked a bit, his breath becoming labored (this was… _Alfred_ was just so intense!), but then the Alpha's hand swept over his backside and the very recognizable square-shaped bulge the pack of cigarettes was making in his back pocket and he was suddenly gripped by a different sort of panic altogether. Much to his dread, Alfred pulled away with an unreadable expression and tugged his hand, walking up to a small wooden bench near the concrete wall where he sat down, making Arthur plop in his lap.

"Arthur…" He tsked disapprovingly. "You have been naughty again, haven't you?" Of course, it was a bad thing that his crush was smoking, but still, Alfred found that he rather liked the faint tobacco note mixed with the Omega's fresh, flowery scent. It gave him a sense of something forbidden and for that all the more enticing, even if Arthur was more than innocent otherwise. "You know… I never tried that."

"Cigarettes? " The green-eyed blond smiled impishly. "Would you like to?"

Of course, it wasn't like his father wouldn't totally rip his head off if he happened to smell cigarettes on him, on top of everything else. But since he'd tempted his crush to skip class with him, it was only reasonable that he should allow himself to be tempted in turn. He nodded and watched Arthur's delicate fingers pulling out the pack and taking out one cigarette which he placed between his own lips with a coy smile. His other hand dug out a lighter and lit up, meeting the Alpha's curious stare.

The Omega took a drag and leaned in, parting Alfred's lips with his thumb and blowing the smoke in before he pressed their lips together. Alfred inhaled slowly, deeply, finally given the opportunity to slip his tongue into the smaller blond's mouth and taste him fully. The kiss deepened along with the igniting sensation of the Omega's body pressed against his own and it wasn't long before Arthur found himself pushed flat on his back on the bench with the taller blond on top of him. The Alpha's hands were exploring his body in an absolutely stirring fashion, tracing his sides over the tight t-shirt and eventually dipping under the back hem of his jeans and underwear, in search of bare skin.

"N-no, Alfred… S-Stop, please stop!" the untouchable boy panted, struggling a bit to push Alfred away.

"It's okay, baby, we won't be doing anything we're _really_ not supposed to," the Alpha reassured him gently, nuzzling his neck. "I just want to mess with you a bit."

Arthur relaxed somewhat, arms sneaking around the taller blond's neck instead, eyes closing and teeth digging into his bottom lip as his thighs were pushed apart and a warm hand slipped into the front of his jeans to fondle him just right.

* * *

The rest of the classes were a complete blur, Alfred finding himself mostly unable to hold back a face-splitting smile that got his friends asking nosy questions and certain thoughts and images from flooding his mind constantly. Messing with Arthur (more than a little bit, actually…) had been absolutely epic, even if afterwards it had required an urgent trip to the restroom for him to deal with pressing matters, while the Omega had needed plenty of cold water to make the beet red color of his cheeks fade.

The young Alpha took a deep breath, telling himself for the umpteenth time that he had to clear his head for now, after all he and Arthur had agreed beforehand to take things slow, since there would be a rather long wait ahead in their relationship. He sighed, quickening his step – for now he had Mattie to worry about, anyway.

The pristine white halls of hospitals had always made Alfred uneasy ever since he'd been a child, which was a bit of a pain seeing how he wanted to become a doctor, but he was telling himself that he would be involved in research, like his father, and consequently spared of all this. Research laboratories were bound to feel safer, without the daunting perspective of needles and bad-tasting medicine. Poor Mattie, he bore everything so stoically…

The blond made his way along the already familiar corridor towards his little brother's room, accidentally catching the odd stare one of the passing nurses gave him. He checked his watch, wondering whether by any chance the visiting hours had changed and he shouldn't have been there. But no one stopped him or said anything, so Alfred kept going until he reached Mattie's room.

Only to find the door wide open and revealing an empty bed with freshly changed sheets.

Alfred blinked, releasing a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding. Where on earth was Mattie?! His father would have surely texted him to inform if his sibling had been discharged from the hospital and allowed back home, but nothing of the sort had happened. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked to make sure, then dialed Dr. Jones's number.

There was no answer.

Increasingly confused and even slightly panicked, the young Alpha looked around, and found another nurse to ask about his little brother. The young man gave him a similarly odd stare before letting him know that the patient Matthew Jones had been transferred to a special facility somewhere during the early morning.

"What? What do you mean, 'special facility', sir? Can't you just tell me what happened?! Did his condition worsen or something?"

He was nearly begging at this point, gradually gripped by an ominous presentiment, but the nurse refused to provide any further explanations, instead telling him to go home and talk with his parents. After this, Alfred had no choice but to leave, but he was getting more and more worried with each step he took. This story didn't make sense at all – he'd never heard of any sort of special medical facilities – and why would Mattie be taken to one? His condition couldn't have been _that_ serious, could it? And why was his father not answering the phone?! This had never happened before! Or maybe his father was currently with Mattie, wherever he was, and his phone was on silent mode?

Sighing, the blond decided that for now he could do nothing else but go home and wait. His father would take care of it, right?

* * *

As he walked down the alley towards their house, Alfred noticed the black unmarked van with dark matted windows parked on the side of the street and thought it was somewhat of an unusual sight, but aside from that he gave it no importance. And indeed, there was nothing suspicious to be noticed, until he saw that the front door was slightly ajar. Looking around, the blue-eyed Alpha saw his father's car parked in the driveway, so he must have been at home, but then why…? Suddenly a lot of things didn't add up.

Yet he had no choice but to continue up the path, all the while seeing no one around, and to make his way inside the house. His father's keys were lying on the small table next to the entrance as usual, but the vintage umbrella stand was knocked over on the floor and a corner of the carpet was turned as if someone in a hurry had tripped on it.

"Dad?" Alfred called cautiously, advancing with slow steps down the narrow hallway towards the living room.

There was no answer but a faint rustling sound could be heard coming from upstairs, all the more ominous since the rest of the house was dead quiet.

"Dad! Are you home?!"

The coffee table in the living room was lying on the floor in pieces, while the books from the shelves were scattered on the ground in a blur of torn pages. The couch had been moved and its pillows turned, and there were many other signs that someone had been keenly searching for something, but for what?!

A cold shiver ran down the boy's spine and he gulped, eyeing the stairs. The sound could be heard clearer now, and his legs carried him up the steps even if his reason debated against the idea. But maybe there was a reasonable explanation for it after all? Surely his father would-

The door to Dr. Jones's study was wide open, hanging off its hinges even, and the pile of papers on the floor was spilling into the hallway. More mess was inside the room, but what drew the young Alpha's gaze instantly was the large pool of darkened blood at the foot of the desk and the pale familiar hand still wearing the wedding band.

"DAD!"

The shock of that however was overshadowed as Alfred wheeled around at the sound of heavy footsteps and he was suddenly faced with a soldier in full combat suit. Several male voices broke down in the hallway, but for now all he could see was his own horrified face reflected in the man's black helmet visor. The full armor was masking his scent too, this was why Alfred hadn't picked up any unfamiliar scents upon entering the house.

"Alfred F. Jones?" the soldier asked, his voice distorted by the closed helmet. "You're coming with us."

"Wha-..?! No! What happened to my Dad?! Hey, let go-"

The blond struggled to free his arm from the man's grip, but his fight was stopped short when the butt of a shotgun hit the back of his head and he was instantly rendered unconscious.

* * *

A blinding lamp was hanging low from the metallic ceiling, making the atmosphere with stale, heated air even more unbearable. Alfred was horribly dizzy, but still made an effort to lift his head, squinting. His glasses were gone and he was strapped in a steel contraption of sorts, which rendered his body almost completely immobile, on a reclined medical table. His nostrils and throat were burning at each breath, as if he'd inhaled some foul, toxic substance and his head was absolutely pounding from the blow. Was this some sort of nightmare? Because it couldn't have been real… What could he have possibly been doing tied up like that in this sinister room with a fully armored soldier standing guard at the door? No, nothing made any sense whatsoever and his father… his father was…

"Alfred? It's Alfred, right?" A unknown middle-aged, bespectacled man was hovering over him, cold features contorted into an awkward grimace which had been meant to be a friendly smile but hadn't come out quite right. "Can you hear me, son?"

'I'm not your fucking son' the young Alpha wanted to shout in his face, but only an unintelligible mumble came out as he first opened his mouth. It took some effort until he was actually able to form words.

"W-What happn'd…? My dad…? Why did you-… Why am I here? And Mattie-… where's Mattie…?"

"We will get to that later, Alfred. For now you'll have to answer some questions for us, because you see, I'm afraid they're of utmost importance for us in this moment."

The man smiled again and Alfred panicked. Why was he restrained?! And it was so hot, just burning hot, he needed-… "I've done nothing wrong, I swear!... done nothing, please!"

"I don't know about that, my dear boy, but we have serious reasons to believe that your father has. And we need to ascertain to what extent he has been involving you in it as well. See, we know that he intended you to become a doctor and follow in his footsteps. So then, we need to know how much he's told you about his work."

The young Alpha gulped. It was absurd, his father would never have done anything bad, he was a good man! Just who the hell were these people?! "I-I don't think my dad did anything wrong! And he never… I'm… I'm still in highschool. Yeah he wanted me to work with him later on but for now he said I should fo-focus on stuff at school. He never told me-… no."

"Alfred, I tried to be reasonable here, son, but don't think it's going to work that way," the man stated, sighing and motioning with his head and another soldier entered the boy's view. The next thing he knew was the atrocious pain which erupted when said soldier slammed the barrel of his shotgun in his stomach.

_**T**__**o be continued**_

**A/N – yes, I am a horrible person, but you have been warned about this in the very summary of this story. So there. **


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! I must say once again how grateful I am for all of your amazing feedback, favorites and follows, every single one of them makes my day and I'm so glad you guys appreciate this fantastic crap I keep writing ;) On to the story, I promised some extreme drama in the last chapter and delivered, but now even more of that unfolds (reason for which I decided to add another chapter to the original planning), so brace yourselves for the real action (again, you have been warned of this from the very beginning)!

_**Warning: graphic violence**_

* * *

Eyelids fluttered open, but his eyes uselessly tried to focus into the poor lighting in the room. A lit chart with his overall body state was placed standing to the side nearby and the three broken ribs were clearly marked with blinking red points, as if he couldn't feel the sharp sting every time he attempted a deeper breath to fill his lungs. Alfred's mouth was dry and his head still horribly spinning as he relatively came back to his senses, without any notion of time and place. Luckily the hot, burning lamp above his forehead had been turned off, but his body was still immobilized against the hard medical table.

With considerable effort, the young Alpha managed to turn his head from side to side, squinting to get a glimpse of his surroundings. The man who had kept asking those meaningless questions on and on was gone for now, instead he saw three fully armored soldiers playing a game of sorts on a tablet in the corner. The man would be back - was his first thought - sending shivers down his otherwise numb spine. And he would ask… Alfred didn't understand what. It was something about his dad. But his dad would come and get him out of this place and explain-… No. His father was… he was dead. And Mattie… perhaps he was dead too, and there was no 'special facility'… And soon he, Alfred, would be dead as well. The man would come back and press for answers he didn't have and then the soldiers (why were there _three_ soldiers?) would kill him. Either shoot him or pound him to death.

The blond's body shook with silent sobs as the horror of it all seeped into his every nerve, making the restraints rattle a bit. This drew the soldiers' attention and one of them turned his head, but to Alfred's momentary relief they did not stir. Instead the man snorted and said something out of which the boy only caught 'not even a pure Alpha' and guessed they were referring to him. What the… what did that even mean, _pure Alpha_?

Suddenly there was a buzz on the door and the three guards lifted their heads in the same time, and one of them checked the miniscule screen embedded in his armor sleeve.

"Boys, you won't fucking believe this!" he croaked through the helmet speaker. "Boss was thoughtful of our long and tedious night watch and was generous enough to send us a little 'distraction'… Eheheh!" He stood and walked up to the door, pressing a button, and the thick metal panel withdrew sideways into the wall.

Alfred lifted his head, instinctively panicked by the movement and saw… _Arthur_. No… no, it couldn't have been… Was it some sort of drug-induced hallucination? He squinted as much as he could and sniffed the newcomer's familiar scent and yes, the Omega was there, standing demurely in the doorway, their gazes meeting one another, only the smaller blond's eyes were hard and cold, making him appear foreign.

"Mnhhhgg… Arth-..ur… no," the young Alpha groaned, struggling weakly against his bonds and gripped by a visceral horror as the three soldiers broke into comments of appreciation at the green-eyed boy's shapely figure, clad only in a tight lycra undershirt and a pair of short black denim shorts, the outfit complimented by a pair of knee-high combat style boots. One of the men muttered something about the cute little Omega being 'deliciously underage' and the others chuckled diabolically.

Helpless tears began sliding down Alfred's face as his boyfriend was ushered into the room and the door closed behind him. God, this couldn't be! Why?! Why was Arthur here?! Had they taken him as well?! Through even blurrier vision he saw the soldier standing closer to the door placing his large hand on the Omega's bare shoulder and then-… something incomprehensible happened.

Blinking numbly, as if he'd brusquely slipped into an absurd dream, Alfred saw the soldier sent flying, his armor screeching as he slid across the smooth floor. The other two rushed from their spots, lunging for attack, but Arthur moved swiftly, like a lethal dancer. One flawlessly aimed fist broke the visor of one's helmet with a sickening crack, sending its owner to the ground, after which a small but agile hand snatched the gun from the other's belt before a kick was delivered into the soldier's stomach. Then two shots resounded in the room, making him flinch and break into a cold sweat. Had his boyfriend just-…?

"Who are you?! AND _WHAT_ THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" yelled the remaining soldier, who had stood up eventually and removed his helmet for better vision, but before he could reach for his weapon the green-eyed blond was upon him, hitting him brutally across the face with the barrel of his gun. The massive Alpha staggered, blood trickling from his nose and mouth, distracted enough for Arthur to take hold of his gun as well. Then the man was forcefully gripped by the back of his neck and pushed to his knees, forehead slammed into the edge of the table Alfred was strapped to.

"Release him," the Omega ordered.

"Fuck you, little mutant shit!" the soldier growled, struggling to free himself and land a punch in turn.

His reply was promptly rewarded with his head being slammed into the hard surface anew, this time with increased force. "Do what the fuck I tell you to, fucking Alpha scum, or I'll blow your fucking brains out!" In emphasis of the statement, the muzzle of a gun was pressed to the back of his head. "Release him!"

"It's impossible! I can't disconnect the straps, they're connected into the main system, only the doctor has access! So you fucking mutants are fucked-"

"You first."

Letting the unconscious soldier slip on the floor, Arthur quickly took in the table and what was around it, eyes lingering for a moment on the lit chart before finally looking down at the other boy who stared back wide-eyed, barely daring to breathe. The Omega's features softened somewhat at the sight, gaze trailing down Alfred's trembling body.

"Well then," he said dryly. "Let's fuck the main system."

He moved his hand towards the handprint scanner the doctor had used on Alfred at some point (with unknown purpose, only afterwards things had gotten significantly worse, _that_ he recalled) and pressed his palm flat on it. The Alpha's gaze flicked involuntarily towards the screen attached to the device, wondering what effect could the gesture have.

_Subject age: 17_

_Gender: Male_

_Classification:_ _ __

Alfred stared at the blinking cursor in numbed awe, uncomprehending why the result was delayed. Then, suddenly, the whole screen turned red and alarms went on, deafening. _**Deviant. Identified. Deviant. Identified. Deviant. Identified**__._ repeated a robotic female voice loudly.

"Bloody brilliant, it works," Arthur observed and the taller blond saw the metal straps withdraw into the table, in the same time as the door at the other end of the room slid open. Only he still couldn't move much and there was absolutely no way he could muster enough strength to stand.

Alfred flinched painfully when the other boy leaned in and gripped his jaw between his thumb and index finger, forcing his head up and searching his eyes. "Jones, what have they done to you?"

"W-Wha-… why? W-Why are you here? And you… h-huh what-" The Alpha's gaze slipped towards the black shapes of the two dead soldiers near the door and the voice died in his throat. "Arthur… why d-did you-"

"Because this is my job. Now come, we must get you out of here."

The smaller blond dug in his shorts' pocket, pulling out a small ear bud which he inserted into his ear as he scanned the room rapidly. The shotgun which had been viciously used to bruise a significant part of his boyfriend's body was still propped against the wall, near the soldiers' table, and he went to collect it, sliding the strap over his head. Alfred was no lightweight, but he was then hauled to his feet with only one arm and the 'Omega' propped his slumping form against his shoulder, pulling him towards the exit.

"Ah, fuck," Arthur said suddenly. "I don't suppose you are able to fire a gun, which is a pity because drones are coming…"

What followed was the stuff of nightmares. Alfred had only seen drones in action movies, where they were shown to pertain to elite military. They were large two-legged robots equipped with two machine-gun barrels each and motion and heat sensors to locate targets. Apparently, even if their fire power was impressive, their armor was weak, making them prone to easy disposal if certain vital points were hit, as Arthur explained upon firing round after round at the black-painted metal monsters pursuing them on the way out. Alfred was deafened by the noise yet mostly numbed by the shock of the unexpected rescue, enough to watch in a daze as crumbs of mortar flew in all directions from the walls under the incessant gun fire. The green-eyed blond brought down one drone, the explosion damaging another, but more continued to come. A bullet grazed the Alpha's cheek and another hit his shoulder in full as he was hastily dragged towards the exit, but he felt nothing beyond a mere sting.

"You had to set off the alarm, didn't you?" Elizaveta grumbled, suddenly appearing in their field of vision. The brunette was wearing a set of military-style khaki overalls and her hair was swept back in a ponytail. She was carrying something which looked like a portable gun of sorts. An _enormous_ portable gun. "Let me handle them, take him to the van now." She leaned closer and frowned. "Ah, fuck, he's been hit!"

Confused, Alfred glanced down at his right hand, the one he'd used to cling to Arthur, and saw it covered in something red, warm and sticky. But he'd been hit in the other arm, he had clear memory of that, so it meant… Then he saw the side of the white lycra undershirt covered in the same blood staining his hand.

"NO! Arthur…" he cried weakly, but the sudden pull that followed nearly made him slip back into unconsciousness. The next thing he knew was that he was lying on a stretcher inside a vehicle of sorts and saw Antonio and Vlad hovering over him with concerned faces. Somebody asked what had been done to him in the lab and someone else answered, but he didn't catch it.

"Arthur, you're losing too much blood!" he heard Elizaveta say in alarm. And then everything went dark.

* * *

A blond, blue-eyed man dressed in a white doctor robe sat on the edge of the pristine bed, his hands folded calmly in his lap. A youthful smile, albeit with a hint of sadness, was on his handsome face and he seemed to be an Alpha, but there was something striking about him which made Alfred shrug back into the pillows, barely resisting the impulse to pull his legs to his chest – _he was scentless_. At first the boy had thought his nose was failing him, but he could perfectly perceive all the other smells in the room, such as medicines and antiseptic.

"Hello, Alfred. I am Dr. Francis Bonnefoy," said the unknown blond in a soft voice, digging into one of his robe pockets. The young Alpha flinched, his squinting eyes immediately flicking towards the moving hand, but a pair of spectacles was produced and handed over to him. "I am sorry, we could not find your own, so we had these made while you were asleep."

Alfred put them on with trembling hands and involuntarily breathed in relief when his vision became clear. But then his gaze dropped back into his lap, and once again he resisted the need to curl up in fear. "Where am I, sir?" he mumbled almost inaudibly.

"This is the Institute of the Reactive Agency," Francis replied. "I suppose that the name does not mean anything to you, but I can assure you that you will be safe here. I'm afraid you won't be able to leave, but you won't come to any harm. Quite on the contrary, we shall see you to full recovery. How do you feel?"

The blue-eyed boy shifted a bit, feeling a faint sting in his injured shoulder. It hardly bothered him, but the sensation brought a sudden thought forgotten after countless hours of chemically induced sleep. "I am okay but…" Should he have asked? Maybe…"A-Arthur? What happened to Arthur?" he dared, carefully observing the man's expression.

But the kind smile didn't falter. "Arthur is alright, he's been taken care of in these past two weeks. We will talk about him later, I promise you. "

"A-Are you… going to ask questions as well?"

Dr. Bonnefoy sighed, glancing down at his hands. "So they questioned you… I am sorry. And no, there will be no questions here, we already have all the answers, sadly if you will."

The young Alpha looked up at him uncertain. Should he really trust this man? "I don't know who _they_ were. The soldiers who had barged into my house and… they gave no explanation as to why I was to be detained and … that man who asked questions… he didn't introduce himself. Only said that my Dad did something bad and… he wanted to determine if I was involved as well. He spoke of my Dad's work… but I don't know what kind of medical research he was doing. And I never studied advanced chemistry and all that stuff, how could I even understand…" He gulped, drawing a constricted breath. "But you have all the answers?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me!" Both hands flew to the boy's mouth, realising he'd just shouted. "Please… I want to know why my Dad… why my Dad is _dead_."

Francis smiled reassuringly and shifted closer, but still keeping enough distance for his patient to be comfortable. "I will tell you everything, even though you might find the truth hard to believe. It is a story which began right after the Last Great War, almost one hundred years ago, one which your father knew only too well, and they assumed he'd shared it with you."

"Is it a story so deadly?" Alfred blinked back tears. Had his father died because of something he knew? Was that even enough to cost a man his life? "Is that why he died? Is that why they were going to-…?" He couldn't say it out loud, but he knew what would have come to pass if he hadn't been extracted.

"I suppose there is no clearer way to put it than that our society as it stands today is a system, Alfred. And the system defends its own existence by eliminating any and all existing and potential threats. So yes, this is why your father died and why they were going to kill you too. And this is why this Institute is the only place where you are safe and where the Government – because it's the very _Government _we are talking about - won't attempt to hunt you down."

The doctor sighed again, shoulders sagging a bit. "Now, the truth will be shocking to you and consequences even harder to accept, but if you want answers-"

The young Alpha blinked, prompting him to continue with a small nod.

"Like I said, it all began right after the Last Great War. As you know, it was both an ecological and demographic catastrophe, the population had decreased below 10% of the number required for reconstruction and proper functioning. Also, human kind was a bit different then than it is now, but bear in mind that this was actually its natural, God-given state." Francis paused, watching the boy intently. "What I mean to say is… there were no classifications, only the two genders."

Alfred stared numbly. "What do you mean, _no classifications_?"

_**To be continued**_


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

A/N – Hello everyone! I know that the previous chapter ended somewhat abruptly, but it's only because that part is longer and wouldn't have fit into it. Also, an important part of the planned plot is still yet to be covered, hence this additional chap before the final one. Also, there's a little surprise included. Enjoy!

* * *

Francis paused, eyebrows rising slightly, thoughtfully, as he waited for the information to sink in. It was true that Alfred had occasionally wondered why the humans were different from all other animal species - where the two genders alone sufficed - but no explanation had ever been available and he had accepted the status quo, just like everyone else.

"Please explain…" he asked at last, assuming that he could sort of gauge the reasonableness of what he was about to hear.

The doctor smiled, pleased that the boy showed an open mind. "Indeed, there were no Alphas and Omegas, only men and women and out of the two genders only women could be child bearers. This was humans' natural state."

"And… how did this change?"

Silently, wheels started turning in Alfred's head. There was one thing he'd once read in his father's private collection of history books (which he and Mattie were not supposed to go through but he'd done it anyway), something about the governmental effort to increase population after the War, but he'd not given it much thought at the time, even if it didn't make much sense.

"The Government's elite team of scientists developed a strategy of artificial genetic manipulation of the existing humans. Obviously without the official public knowledge or consent, although some explanation must have been provided to the general public. The artificial Alpha and Omega genes were enhanced with animal elements from certain species – hence the chosen names for the classifications - and the effect of implantation was the ability of Omega males to bear offspring as well as certain, very precisely designed patterns of behavior and mindsets specific to each of the two classifications. Alphas are dominant and aggressive, manifest increased physical development and strength and increased cerebral capacity while Omegas are submissive and gentle, with fragile constitution and moderate to low cerebral capacity. However, both classifications share one very important trait, one that was crucial for the Government's efforts for meet the need for workers – the increased sexual drive and sexual hormones, as well as the desire to produce numerous children."

Alfred mustered a small cramped smile."This doesn't sound that hard to believe. I think it makes sense, pretty much, and I guess it worked too. But was there need for such a tight behavioral control?"

Francis nodded. "Yes. People who think in a predetermined way are incredibly easy to control and manipulate. To _govern_, if you will."

"But?"

The young doctor drew a deep breath, half-shrugging. "But there are of course some complications. They soon discovered that the human body continues to reject the artificial Alpha and Omega genes (and this still happens now, after several generations). To prevent the genes from regressing the scientists have developed a remedy I suppose you are more than familiar with – the _supplements_."

"Which everyone must take all their lives because supposedly food lacks essential nutrients…" Alfred mumbled, more to himself. The supplements his dad had worked on since as long as he could remember. This meant his father was actually involved in-

"Indeed. This was the first problem they encountered, successfully fixed though it is presently. The second and most serious by far are the mutations. Some children are born with deficient genes in various degrees, but there is a special category which has posed the most problems – the so-called 'untouchables'. This _official_ term was taken over from ancient history where a certain human society was organized upon a system of castes. The individuals labeled as 'untouchables' were the lowest of the low, fallen from the grace of gods and thus repellent to the rest, to such extent that as much as touching them brought damnation. But in our circumstances the untouchables are the persons born with no classification."

Alfred stared, dumbstruck. How was that even possible? "I've never heard of-"

"Of course you've never heard of them, _untouchables_ do not exist on the record. That and the Government has been taking increasingly active steps towards their systematic elimination."

"Why?"

"Because not only they can't be controlled – since they don't follow the prescribed behavioral patterns – but also they are hybrids superior in almost every respect, physical strength, cerebral capacity and so on. Of course, the lack of classification together with the interference of the artificial genes means that they cannot reproduce and their sexual hormones activity is uncommonly low, even compared to pre-classification standards."

"And they are also scentless," the young Alpha guessed, watching the doctor intently. "You are an untouchable yourself, aren't you sir?"

The other blond smiled, pleased with his deduction."Indeed I am."

Alfred leaned back on the pillows, resting his head against the soft fabric."I still don't understand… and I remember, um… the soldiers guarding me there were saying something like… I'm not a _pure_ Alpha. Does that have anything to do with what you just told me?"

"I'm sorry, it's just a lot of information to convey for anything to make sense," Dr. Bonnefoy replied. "The underlying idea is that the Government does not accept the existence of deviants of any kind. Untouchables are the worst and to be killed upon discovery, but the others… Well, I'll try to keep it short, Alfred. Your father was indeed working in the highest field of research involving the production of supplements. And upon your birth he discovered that both you and your brother Matthew were deviants, rejecting the genes above average and in different ways. Since your brother is an Omega, the rejection takes place at a more physical level, hence his violent, troublesome heats, while you as an Alpha reject the genes at a cerebral level. You must have noticed that you don't quite think like the rest of your friends? Matthew also is more intelligent than his fellow Omegas. Now, since all children are genetically tested at birth, your father knew that both of you were constantly being monitored, so all your lives he's been trying to keep the problems to an acceptable level by chemical means, in the form of customized supplements. Only your brother was getting sicker and sicker to the point his life was in danger and your father wanted to cease his treatment rather than see him die."

The boy looked away, uselessly trying to blink back the tears threatening to spill.

"Of course, that wasn't deemed acceptable. Nor was the potential seed of rebellion which they intuited in Dr. Jones. "

Alfred wiped his cheek hastily with the back of his hand, clearing his throat. The things explained by Dr. Bonnefoy did add up with certain things he'd noticed at home, as well as the 'deviations' concerning him and Mattie. But could the Government really be this cruel? Well, there were guards and scent scanners everywhere… of course, the _scent scanners_. Now he understood what they were really for.

"What is the Reactive Agency?"

"It's an agency founded by a more… radical faction of the Government, let's say. Like secret services. Since its foundation thirty years ago its purpose has been to collect untouchables – at first from their families and these days right from the maternity, to the extent we can actually rescue them… Like I said, all children are tested at birth and recently any untouchables found have been put to death immediately, upon identification. Arthur's generation was the last before the new procedure. We are allowed to live here at the Institute and the young ones are trained to be elite soldiers for the Agency, but upon occasion we collect other deviants, so this is why we were able to find and rescue you. We're trying the same about Matthew, but so far we haven't located him yet, nor do we know if he's still alive. I'm sorry about that…"

The young Alpha folded his arms involuntarily, choosing to momentarily put aside the full implications of what he'd just heard. Back there at the lab he'd been almost sure that Mattie was lost, lying dead somewhere just like his dad. Now there was some hope that his little brother would be saved!

And then there was also Arthur to consider. _Arthur's generation._ So the new kids… were all untouchables. It explained why they were keeping to themselves, but- "But Arthur has Omega scent, I am pretty sure about that!"

Francis's eyebrows shot up in surprise and Alfred realised that something in the way he'd said it had made Dr. Bonnefoy aware that he and the green-eyed boy were a bit more than just school mates, something the doctor had obviously not been knowledgeable of.

"It's a trained trait, we are able to fake Alpha or Omega characteristics in order to blend in."

"Oh…" Alfred shrugged awkwardly, suddenly wishing for the subject to be dropped. Whatever the _whole truth_ was (because he intuited that it was extensive), Arthur had saved him and he didn't mean to cause any sort of trouble to his boyfr-… Wait, was Arthur still his boyfriend? God, if only his head hadn't been such a mess…

The doctor sighed softly. "Look, Arthur told me that you're all friends at school," he said. "So before you draw any wrong conclusions about them, know that there really was no way they could have told you the truth. This year is no more than a 'blend-in' mission for them and it's dangerous enough as it is, because if any of us are discovered by the regular authorities outside the premises of this Institute we are to be executed on sight. Also, their group was the last generation taken from their homes and because they were instinctively perceived as different… they all took various degrees of damage, especially at the hands of their Alpha parents and other family members."

Suddenly, the scene from the first school day flashed through Alfred's mind vividly. "Arthur's brother….?" he asked.

Francis nodded, sadly. "Brothers… and father. See, he was already ten when we took him in, so he had the longest exposure to his regular family. When he was first brought here the poor boy was nearly bruised from head to toe and his left arm was broken."

* * *

Alfred was breathing fresh air for the first time in the past two weeks. As soon as he'd been well enough to leave the bed he'd been allowed to wander freely around the Institute and he'd discovered the building was far larger than imagined. It even had an inner yard spacious enough to make a small park. Now the blue-eyed boy had taken a seat on one of the comfortable wooden benches and was watching a couple playing with two small children a bit further away. He still hadn't gotten used to this scentless world, even if his own Alpha scent had mostly faded – and surprisingly quick too - since he'd stopped taking the supplements. There was no use fitting in into the so-called 'regular world' anymore since he would never be able to leave this place and the untouchables found regulars' scents so unpleasant that some even wore nasal filters when on missions outside. Other than that, he was telling himself that slowly he would adapt to the new circumstances, that he would leave behind all the lies and betrayal of his previous life and he would eventually accept that his dad had only meant to protect them the only way he thought possible by giving Mattie the drugs which had ended up endangering his life. As for seeing Mattie again… he almost didn't dare hope.

Dr. Bonnefoy had also informed him that an announcement had been made at school stating that his father had had to move for work purposes and because his location was confidential he and Matthew were not to be contacted by anyone for the time being. How convenient…

Without warning, someone sat down beside him – equally scentless and almost ghostly - the one person he hadn't even dared think about for fear of being swallowed by a sea of painful uncertainties. He turned brusquely, eyes wide with something akin to fear. Yet Arthur was there, so close, even if he looked troubled and worrying his bottom lip while unable to find his words. And suddenly Alfred reacted on pure instinct, leaning in and burying his nose in the crook of the smaller blond's neck. Indeed, the Omega scent was gone, replaced by a clean, simple smell of soap.

"Jones… do you think I'm repulsive?" Arthur whispered, like an afterthought.

"No. Do you? Do you hate me because I'm an Alpha?" As he spoke Alfred realised he had put one arm around the untouchable boy's waist, while the fingers of the other hand were twisted in the fabric of his soft grey cotton t-shirt, and he hadn't moved his head from his shoulder.

He heard Arthur inhale sharply, almost like a sob.

"… no. Not… not you."

The blue-eyed blond blindly sought the other's hand and intertwined their fingers together, letting out a shaky breath of relief. "Do you… like me then?"

"Yes. But you know I can't be your… mate."

Alfred pressed closer. "I know. Does it matter? I suppose Dr. Bonnefoy told you that I'm a bit of a deviant myself. I mean we can be, like, close friends or-" He looked up, biting his lip playfully. "Look, I'm not awfully disappointed that we won't end up swallowed by a whirlpool of diapers and bills, okay?"

The green-eyed blond tsked, pushing him away with a frown. "Ha, ha," he deadpanned. "Actually, it might still be possible if you really, really want it," he added, pointing to the couple with the two kids. "So what now, after you've been thrown in with the rest of us freaks?"

"Dr. Bonnefoy says I'll be able to finish highschool here, just like you've been schooled until now. And then I can study further and become a doctor, just like it was initially planned. I'd get a job here afterwards, seeing how I must make myself useful eventually, one way or the other." Alfred paused, observing the smaller blond. "But I guess you won't be working in a supermarket after all, yeah? You're a soldier."

Arthur nodded, shrugging. "I suppose you don't-"

"Are you kidding me?! Well sure at first it was scary as fuck, but… I mean you're so cool!"

"Jones…"

"What?"

The untouchable boy stood, scrunching his nose with a playful grin, and pulled him away.

* * *

Finally away from potentially prying eyes, in the privacy of his dorm, Arthur had been finally able to relax a bit in the certainty that Alfred wasn't lost to him, not entirely anyway. His breathing had steadied as he lay on top of the taller blond, in the same rhythm as the Alpha's chest was rising and falling.

Alfred looked relaxed too, eyes closed and sprawled out on the soft mattress in the aftermath of the obvious and constant tension he seemed to have been living in as of late and Arthur craned his neck up, pressing his lips softly against his. A warm hand trailed down his back in a gentle caress over the smooth fabric of his t-shirt in reply, prompting the green-eyed blond to shift slowly, such that he straddled the top of Alfred's thighs and sat up, observing his face. An impish smile formed on the other's lips and suddenly he sat up too, capturing Arthur in his arms and his mouth into a heated, open-mouthed kiss. Shy fingertips crept under the hem of Alfred's shirt, seeking the sun-kissed skin underneath and the shape of taut muscles and suddenly the Alpha pulled back, with a curious stare.

"I thought Dr. Bonnefoy said you guys aren't really into… well, this sort of thing."

"I-It was a slow build-up," the green-eyed boy confessed."And I ever only thought about it… with _you_, if it makes any sense," he murmured softly.

Which didn't mean Arthur wasn't awfully nervous about it, even as he reached again and pulled Alfred's shirt up and over his head, followed by his own. All previous doubts and uncertainties washed over him anew, gripping with ever increasing strength up until they found themselves under the sheets sans bothersome clothing and that incredibly warm, reassuring feeling of skin on skin took over, making him melt under and against Alfred's body. Sky blue eyes looked down at him, slightly worried and uncertain.

"Arthur… are you sure?" the Alpha asked, even as his hand slipped down the outside of the smaller blond's bare thigh.

The untouchable boy nodded quickly, cheeks deliciously flushed and his eyes wide in a mixture of excitement and worried anticipation.

"Don't worry, we'll take it easy my sweet bunny…"

Alfred scooted lower, nipping at the smaller blond's collarbone before his tongue darted out to circle one soft nipple and then the other while his fingers slipped beneath the other's body and traced every bump of his spine, making him arch his body further into his mouth.

The smaller blond moaned softly as his boyfriend's lips traveled down his torso and stomach, leaving butterfly kisses over the pale skin, all the way to the fine blonde hairs around and right below his navel. Then Alfred moved back up, resuming exploring his mouth while his hands moved over smooth hipbones and thighs, gently pushing his knees apart.

Arthur was already fully aroused and instinctively bucked his hips to meet the other's, the friction sending spikes of pleasure up his spine. One slender leg went around the Alpha's hip, prompting him to move as well in the same delicious rhythm, and Alfred drew a sharp breath, moving one hand tentatively down between his lover's legs. To his relief, it turned out that Arthur had natural lubrication, just like any Omega. He carefully inserted first one finger, and then another, searching for the sweet spot that would make him see stars and soon enough the green-eyed blond suddenly moaned loudly, eyes closed and body arching up into his, hips bucking into his hand.

"H-Hah, fuck…" Arthur cursed, wiggling a bit in discomfort as the Alpha eventually eased himself all the way in, fingernails digging into his boyfriend's biceps.

"Are you alright, baby?" his lover asked softly, remaining perfectly still and peppering kisses all over his flushed cheeks as he waited for his body to adjust.

"I'm…I'm fine now…" the smaller blond whispered, a few moments later, somewhat loosening his grip. "Move…"

Alfred promptly fulfilled his wish, cautiously and gently at first then gradually increasing the speed of his thrusts. "Fuck you're… hmphhh… so good, so tight baby," he whispered licking the shell of his boyfriend's ear as the softest, most delicious moans escaped Arthur's lips.

"Yeah, right … right there… ahahhh, yes! Fuck, Alfred ahhh…YES!" the green-eyed blond all but shouted his lover's name as his peak hit him, the wave of pleasure so unexpectedly powerful that he had to bite it into the back of his balled fist.

For a while after they both simply laid there silently, under the soft sheets, Alfred catching his breath while resting onto his boyfriend's chest while Arthur's fingers gently treaded through his tousled hair.

_**To be continued**_


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

A/N – Hello my dear readers! I'm so excited to have been actually able to stick to my planning and finish this story as well before the end of this hot, hot summer! I will begin this final chapter (which is more of an epilogue than real action, if you want) by thanking all of you for the amazing support given throughout this story, it always means so much to me to see that people like my twisted ideas! So enjoy!

* * *

Alfred groaned sleepily, shifting between the sheets. Cracking one eye open he was vaguely aware of the door opening and a slender figure dressed in nondescript undershirt and sweatpants slipping inside. Then the mattress of his small bed dipped slightly as Arthur lied down beside him, pulling a bit of the blanket to warm up from the night chill.

"Mmmmhh… you're cold… and your hair is damp," Alfred muttered.

"I had a shower."

"…what time is it?"

The smaller blond pressed closer. "Two in the morning. Jones, you have to wake up."

The Alpha chuckled, half-asleep. "Don't tell me… you want to play at this h-"

"No, I don't bloody want to play." Arthur tsked. "We have combat training at all hours, so that we can be ready at any time. Just came back now. But there's something you need to know, okay? Just wake-"

Alfred's arm curled around his slim waist, holding tight as the blue-eyed blond snuggled next to him, nuzzling his hair. "My sweet, sweet bunny… mmm… I love you so much!"

The untouchable boy flinched in surprise at this unexpected and no doubt genuine confession. He knew that Alfred liked him a lot, but _love_… It had been a long while since anyone had told him something like that, so long that it had almost entirely faded from memory. The thought of it made sudden tears prick his eyes and Arthur hardly resisted the urge to settle in his boyfriend's warm embrace and think of nothing else as he drifted into much-needed sleep.

"Alfred… I love you too," he murmured softly, shyly even, reaching to brush a few strands away from his boyfriend's forehead. "But you'll want to wake up now. They extracted Mattie."

The other boy sat up brusquely, all traces of sleep gone in an instant. "What?! Did you say… _Mattie_?" Alfred patted blindly to switch on the bedside lamp and reached for his glasses.

"Yes, that's what I said."

"When?! Did they bring him in or… Is he still-…"

Arthur mustered a small, reassuring smile, nodding. "He's alive, Alfred. It was a small team – Gilbert, Elizaveta and Lukas - there wasn't so much security on that facility. He was taken to the hospital area. Get up."

The blue-eyed blond scrambled from the bed as quick as he could, reaching for a pair of jeans he pulled on hastily. Followed by Arthur, he made his way down the dark corridors of the Institute building towards the hospital wing, all the while still finding it hard to believe that he was about to see his little brother again.

They saw Dr. Bonnefoy together with a nurse standing in the doorway of a room similar to the one Alfred had woken up in upon his arrival, the young doctor looking tired but still with a relieved smile on his face.

"Fortunately his condition isn't as critical as we had feared it would be," Francis said as the Alpha pressed his nose against the glass to see Mattie lying fast asleep on the bed. "He will be in bed for a while and we must administer the proper regression treatment, but I have no doubt that things will go smoothly. He will be fine." There was a IV drip attached to his arm, an oxygen tube under his nose and various receptors to monitor his overall state. Alfred's stomach cringed painfully upon noticing how pale and worn the little Omega looked and his fists balled in barely repressed anger.

"I suppose that from the Government's point of view he's equally undesirable now, isn't he?" he asked under his breath, yet the doctor heard him and nodded.

"Alfred, what's important is that he's alive and safe and you'll be together now," Arthur pointed, just as his boyfriend noticed a figure hunched over the side of the bed, probably asleep as well. Gilbert. The albino still had his khaki uniform on, blackened with something like soot, some on his face too, and his hand was still laced to Mattie's over the blanket.

The blue-eyed blond blinked, taken by surprise. So Gilbert did care about Mattie after all, enough to risk his life to see him to safety. Also, being an untouchable explained why he'd been immune to his brother's heat and why the little Omega had probably been safer with him than with anyone else that day, even if Gilbert had actually risked exposing his real nature by the lack of expected reaction. Hell, even his dad could have caught on that something was not as supposed to be.

Of course, his protective instinct towards his little brother still prompted him to have mixed feelings about this, but for the moment he was happy, so damn happy that tears had begun silently sliding down his cheeks. Sniffing softly, he walked up to the bed and placed a kiss on the sleeping Omega's forehead.

* * *

"So this is it, huh?" Matthew said, eyes trained upon the neatly trimmed shrubbery surrounding a small artesian fountain. It was the first time he'd been allowed out of his hospital room, Dr. Bonnefoy deeming he was well enough for his older brother to take him out to get some fresh air. "We'll be staying here with the rest of your friends from now on. It's not… not so bad, I guess."

"Mattie, I'm so sorry!" Alfred gulped, looking away and blinking back his tears. "I promised you that I'd always protect you and I didn't! I couldn't, in the end I was so damned helpless!"

The purple-eyed blond reached out for his brother's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze."It's not your fault, Al. There's nothing you could have done, not even Dad… I remember that he came to see me back at the hospital, and he said all this nightmare was going to be over soon. That was the last time I saw him."

All in all, Mattie had taken the news of their current situation far better than the young Alpha had hoped, which was somewhat of a relief. Still, he guessed that it was going to take some more time for his little brother to fully grasp the fact that they were alone in the world and left without any other choice but to spend their entire lives within the confines of the Reactive Institute. Unless, like Arthur had suggested and Dr. Bonnefoy had confirmed that it might have been possible, they could train to 'blend in' and venture out upon occasion, taking risks just like everyone else. But this was a distant thing he would not think of just yet.

"Um… Dr. Bonnefoy said that when I'm fully recovered I could go back to school," the smaller blond said, fidgeting a bit. "Like, finish my remaining high-school here." He paused, taking a deep breath and seeming suddenly nervous about something."And he said that afterwards… I could go on studying further if I wanted to…" he added in a lower voice, sounding almost shy about what he was saying.

Alfred flinched, realising that his little brother feared he would be against it. Of course, in the 'regular world' it was unheard of and even if Mattie would have probably done great at any university, it would have been out of the question, since he was an Omega. He pressed his lips tightly together, stuffing down a new wave of anger at what they'd left behind, instead his arm went around Mattie's shoulders, pulling him close and pressing a kiss into his hair.

"Of course you could! Hey, if you want, you can study the same as me and maybe one day we'll work together! We could help Dr. Bonnefoy, if he'll have us."

The purple-eyed blond looked up, eyes widened in awe. "Really? You mean it, Al?"

"Yeah. I guess now we can think of doing things which wouldn't have been possible outside."

Mattie looked away again, this time his cheeks dusting with pink. "Gilbert said the same, you know… He said that if I want to, I should go for it." He sighed. "But I guess he wouldn't have said that if he was a _real_ Alpha… And you know… uh, Dad would have never agreed to it either."

"I know. But then Dad was a regular through and through and he only wanted us to fit in so that we'd be safe… I guess he never thought that in the end it wasn't going to be possible."

* * *

_**Five years later **_

Alfred nearly held his breath at the sight of the miniscule hand reaching up to grab his finger. The baby's large blue eyes looked up at him in a sort of awe as her small, round mouth was on the verge of forming a smile. The baby girl had been named Amelia by her natural parents before the Government had snatched her from their arms for the only fault of being born with _untouchable_ genes. Otherwise she was a perfectly healthy child, incredibly lucky to have been among the few rescued by the Agency.

"Hey, Dr. Jones," a soft voice said and the blue-eyed blond turned abruptly, cradling the baby girl he had gingerly picked up from the small bed against his chest.

Arthur stood in the doorway with his arms crossed, his heavy-looking equipment made up of the standard khaki uniform and bulletproof vest still on, but smiling impishly nevertheless. "I was wondering if you'd cook something for tonight, or should I order something? I was thinking we could… you know, celebrate."

The Alpha smiled in turn, indeed it was their anniversary – four years since they'd officially moved together. They only had a modest, two-room apartment inside the Institute building, but it had been more than enough so far. And he thought 'so far', because ever since he'd laid eyes on Amelia for the very first time… somehow he'd known that she belonged with them. Only seeing Arthur in that military uniform instantly made him imagine Amelia all grown up and dressed in it too and his stomach cringed painfully.

"I was thinking we could order something later, I still got some stuff to finish…" he mumbled, mind elsewhere.

"What's the matter, love?"

Alfred sighed, still watching the baby who now reached up to grasp one of the large buttons of his white doctor robe. "Just look at her Arthur, she's precious! And yet so small, so fragile… and who knows what the future will bring…"

"You know she will grow up to be stronger than you, right?" Arthur said with a smile. "And who knows, maybe by the time she's all grown up things will change for the better."

The blue-eyed blond took a deep breath. "Do you think… um… do you think I'd make a good dad?"

Arthur craned his neck up and pressed a soft kiss on his boyfriend's cheek. "I think you'd make a wonderful dad," he replied. "Besides, it isn't _you_ who passed Baby Care class by cheating on the written test," he added laughing.

"Oh, look, Arthur, she's laughing too!"

Indeed, little Amelia's face was stretched in a funny grin while her little hands were doing a sort of awkward but excited clap.

"Yeah, but do you know why?"

"Wha-…" Alfred frowned, suddenly suspecting what the general source of amusement was. He looked down at his robe and there it was, a growing wet stain. "AH, SHIT! ARTHUR, IT'S NOT FUNNY!"

**THE END**


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